


Lux Recreant

by Sun_star



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Care of Magical Creatures, Daily Prophet, Dark Magic, Friendship is Magic, Gay Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter is Obsessed with Draco Malfoy, Hope, Multi, Original Character(s), Pining Harry Potter, Protective Blaise Zabini, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Sassy Pansy Parkinson, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Slytherin, Trouble
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sun_star/pseuds/Sun_star
Summary: A magical journey of discovery and change awaits the students as the 4th year of Hogwarts begins , where life will show to them the power of human relationships and above all of "Choices".(Who cares about Choices? or Change? , the only thing that Harry wants is a NORMAL life where he ends up encountering a not so interested in him Malfoy, 24/7 bickering Ron and Hermione , the breathtaking Cho Chang , the mysterious DADA professor , Hostile as ever Professor Snape ,  Confusing riddles speaking Dumbledore , the Noble Cedric Diggory...........wait , why is Malfoy so indifferent to me?...........Yes ,life was as Normal as it could get for him)
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Pansy Parkinson/Blaise Zabini
Comments: 16
Kudos: 18





	1. LUX RECREANT

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys , this is my first fan fiction.....Hope you enjoy it!!!
> 
> and
> 
> Yes//////Drarry forever and ever////

Harry stood at the king cross station pondering about the nightmares he was having from the past few months. His eyes yearned for his best mates but instead to his bad luck there with his perfect blonde hair stood the greatest git in the world “Malfoy”. To call him the bane of his existence would become the understatement of the century, that boy, NO, that rich bastard always managed to ignite unadulterated hatred in him.

As harry walked ahead feigning indifference, he realized he did not hear the familiar “scar head” or the malevolent sarcastic voice and without a thought he looked back at the spot where “Malfoy” had stood. For the first time in years he saw the git with a genuine smile on his face talking with Zabini. The sight left Harry perplexed and with a sour mood.

The Patel twins moving past him like a train made him lose his balance. “Sorry, Harry” they said in unison before disappearing in the crowd.

"That’s alright", he replied not allowing his bad mood to get the best of him.

As harry walked to his usual compartment, he couldn’t help but remember the pleasant memories of his short stay with Sirius. It had been brilliant in every way, even though they had to spend most of their time at the cold Grimmauld Palace in the company of a very loud annoying portrait. With that came the memory of Pettigrew and the shrieking shack reminding him that Voldemort’s shadow was still following him.

Before Dark thoughts could cloud his vision, he found himself in the warm embrace of Hermione and he would have said something if not for the fear of her bushy hair attacking him.

"Harry! ,How are you?" said Hermione brimming with excitement before she noticed the frown tugging her best friend’s lips.

"What happened?" her voice immediately filling with concern.

"Nothing, nothing happened", he re-assured her, though his words felt flat to his own ears.

He looked at a red Ron who had failed to utter a single word to him since his arrival, “did I make him angry?” he thought.

"What’s wrong, Ron?" asked harry a bit cautiously.

"Well, did Ginny tell you that I ate the cupcakes which mom had made for you?" Ron said sheepishly.

"You Ronald Weasley are unbelievable", said Hermione enraged and smiling at the same time.

Harry started cracking up and his best mates followed pursuit, in that moment he felt well and fine knowing that he had the best people in the world as his friends. Maybe hoping for a normal Hogwarts year was not that far fetched after all.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Cho appeared with her friends leaving harry panicky and breathless at the same time. Hermione as observant as always gave Harry a knowing smile before walking away.

"Who am I kidding?" He said to no one in particular.

The picture of Malfoy flashed to his mind, stealing the small smile he had gained a few minutes ago.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco had not only just seen Harry Potter but also completely snubbed him without any of his usual sneering or jabbing which meant either Pansy was losing her mind staying in the company of world’s greatest idiots or the world was coming to an end. Neither of her explanation extinguished the desire to know WHAT THE HELL WAS HAPPENING? Her mind moving in circles always came back to the same question.

Any other ordinary bloke might have lost the feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment, when scrutinized at the hands of Slytherin’s best detective. But today Draco felt invincible and refused to be anything but happy in this situation.

"Is there a reason? you can’t take your eyes off me, Pansy dear" said Draco haughtily, which made Pansy snort and Blaise roll his eyes simultaneously.

"Oh, come on, the wizarding world knows how charming we ‘Malfoys’ are" , he said almost sincerely.

"True, you are one hell of a candy, Draco darling but do you have any idea why Zabini here is adamant on avoiding me?" She said viciously.

"I’m not avoiding anyone" said Blaise, his serenity and peace infecting the people around him.

"What are you trying to prove Zabini?", she said bitingly.

Blaise with a solid hold on his emotions did not even care to look at pansy and resorted to close his eyes for a while.

Done with the Slytherin’s in his compartment acting like Hufflepuff’s Draco looked at the light blue sky from the window. This drama began 6 months ago and though entertaining at first , the whole affair has boiled down to be downright draining and troublesome with Pansy and Blaise completely avoiding him while being cross at each other.

The words “why don’t you just shag already?” was at the tip of his tongue before he decided against it, as an angry Parkinson was not to be messed with.

Pansy quickly recovering from the setback called “Blaise”, immediately pounced on her intended Prey.

"Were you finally laid, Darling?"

"Shut your trap, Pansy" said Draco finding it hard to not smile like a fool.

Not satisfied with his response she asked the base line questions, "Tell me all about him? Does he have emerald eyes? Does he have messy hair?"

"Even if it is true that I had an excellent time recently. I don’t understand why you are making him the copy of saint potter?" He said drawling the last bit.

With the topic now safely away from his mixed feelings, Blaise had no reason to stay away from all the fun “Well, well.Someone has been secretive”.

As much as Draco would have enjoyed rubbing it to their faces that he “Draco Malfoy” had managed to charm the most fit Ravenclaw half of Hogwarts desired, there were more important things that he liked to share, and he knew exactly what to tell them.

"Mother knows that I fancy men", he said victoriously.

And as expected a resounding WHAT? Left their lips. This was going to be a long ride for sure.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hogwarts greeted harry with all its warmth, there was excitement in the air over the announcement of tri-wizard tournament. All and all, it felt like a new chapter in his life, just waiting to be explored. Though hearing about the challenging tournament had sent the risk-taking side of him to a jiffy, he knew without a doubt that he had no interests in participating in such a tournament now or in the future.

With the feast beginning, harry turned to see his best mates bickering on something or the other. His gut told him that he was going to be a witness to their not so platonic bickering for a long time. It was Ginny who broke him out of his train of thoughts.

“Nice, glasses Harry” Ginny said amused.

"Thank you, gin", he replied with a bright smile.

Ginny with her confident smile and fiery attitude towards life had grown to become really close to harry in the past few months. Having her around brought a smile to his face immediately. Ron’s interrogation about their relationship never failed to embarrass him.

“I meant your glasses are askew, dummy” she said carefully removing the glasses and handing it back anew with a simple ‘Reparo’, it had been years since he entered the wizarding world, but the smallest of things still fascinated him.

Thanks!

"No problem! , need my beauty sleep, goodnight" she said pretending to be lazy and walked away with a final swish of her long hair.

With Ginny leaving, Harry’s eyes on instinct travelled towards the Slytherin table and as he didn’t find Malfoy at his usual place, a strong need to know his whereabouts sparked in Harry which he immediately crushed while trying to concentrate on the ongoing debate amidst the Gryffindor’s “whether it was a wise decision to revoke the tri-wizard tournament or not” and finally bored turned his attention towards Seamus who had just finished writing a letter.

"Is it a love letter, Seamus?" asked Harry with a wicked look.

“Kind of and I’m only becoming an expert with time Harry."

"Who is the lucky girl?" , Harry asked now very much curious.

Seamus replied with a warm smile, “It’s my mother, I always send her a letter once I reach Hogwarts”.

“It must be really nice”, Harry replied with difficulty as his throat felt heavy suddenly.

Seamus playing with the letter in his hand sighed “It’s a laborious process since I’m not a letter kind of person”.

He was not jealous of the kids who were lucky enough to have parents anymore but there were times just like today, when Harry just failed to not drown in the huge void left by his parents. The inescapable fact that they had lost their lives saving him made it unbearable and as much as his friends sympathized with him, no one could truly understand his years of guilt and suffocation.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco had skipped the ever boring feast and had decided to spend his time doing other productive stuff like re-reading his favorite novel “my prince” by James lo which revolved around a little squib boy who learns to be happy in a world which will always oppress him.

He was at the end of chapter three when he noticed a blue paper sticking out from the book and carefully removed it to find “MeEt me At the quiDditch piTch, after The fEAst.”

The hand writing immediately created the image of the sender in Draco’s mind and he couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement run through his spine. He almost rushed to the quidditch pitch before deciding to make Noah wait. He then left the room after 10 minutes as making someone wait more than that was unbecoming of a 'Malfoy'.

The moon lit the quidditch grounds enough for one to walk without breaking their nail or teeth but that didn’t make Draco less cautious or uneasy. It was while walking towards his usual spot that he witnessed a nut job wildly running around the pitch and at a closer look he instantly recognized the unmistakable messy hair and shabby clothes.

“Expect the deranged savior to work out at this hour”

At this point of time Draco had stopped counting the number of times POTTER had appeared out of thin air in front of him and had accepted that they bumping heads was inevitable.

Anyone could tell by the rate Potter was running, that he would end up by Madam Pompfrey’s side either from total exhaustion or injured ligaments. The temptation to call him out on his idiocy filled his being with fire before being extinguished by his unresolved emotions.

With his previous enthusiasm leaving him, Draco decided to apologize to Noah later and turned around to leave when an agonizing cry pierced his being and left him stupefied for seconds. “He shouldn’t have been here, he clearly shouldn’t have been here."

His mind used to the arrogant attention seeking Harry potter drew a blank when forced to witness his nemesis breaking down, hence he followed his first instinct of running to his dormitory before other heart wrenching sound stopped him dead at his track.

“Unbelievable, this is unbelievable”, quipped Draco before having his pre-conceived notions being bombed by the distraught sight of the stranger in front of him and for reasons he did not know , a part of him yearned to reach out to this person.

“Like that would go really well Draco Abraxas Malfoy” he said berating his unrealistic and illogical thoughts.

After failed attempts of abandoning Potter, he sought to silently accompany him and cast a lasting warming charm on both. The next few hours passed by miserably as harry refused to budge even an inch and the cold was making Draco’s legs cramp.

True, Potter was not aware of his presence but a calmness had engulfed Draco in his company and if he was truly honest, he had to admit that he was enjoying it. Of course, he would never admit it out loud.

With his hazy mind clearing Draco knew exactly what he had to do....

Draco searched for an elegant object but only found stones, leaves and grass around him and then the twin platinum bracelets glimmering in his right hand caught his attention.

“perfect.”

He drew a triangle and placed one of the twin bracelet at it's center and pictured the image of Harry with his eyes closed.As the words “lux recreant” left his lips, magical sparks emitted from the drawn triangle, the bracelet and Draco’s wand merging to create a bluish silver light which transformed the bracelet into the replica of a Fairy.

Draco left the breath he was holding when the ethereal little fairy spread her wings and flew towards Harry. At first he assumed that he miscast the spell , then a wave of ecstasy passed through him as he saw Potter finally following the ball of light.

“I’m a genius.”

With his work done here, Draco conspicuously moved towards his usual spot as there were high chances that Noah was still waiting for him in the awful cold.The question of "why he made a fairy for Harry Potter with his magical essence?" was put off for being answered later as his mind filled with the images of his warm bed and cocoa tea.

\-----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------- 


	2. My Magical Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was working on my assignment and then i just felt like posting , so here's the second chapter guys...
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!!!

As Harry focused on running, the memories of Sirius , his parents and Voldemort kept playing in his mind brokenly. His body tense burnt with the desire to demolish the source of his misery. 

Unlike the indestructible mind, the body exhausts easily and he found his legs giving out to meet the stony ground with a thud. His head splitting with pain numbed the jarring bolt that went through his legs and he sat there alone and immobile, lost in the acute awareness of his helplessness.

The little sense that still worked in him, yelled at top of it's lungs to get up and move to his dormitory where his friends company would make everything better.However ,the negative side of him thought otherwise and he remained still waiting for everything to disappear.

Time slipped by him, as the miserable words “I’m fine” kept repeating like a prayer in his head. A faint whirr interrupting the deafening silence comes to his attention , making his hand instinctively move towards his wand. 

Relying on his stiff legs again, he took defense and amidst the complete darkness he found a ball of bluish-white light moving in circles and zig-zag a few feet away from him. 

One of these days his curiosity was going to make him fall on his face. Regardless, he followed the light and after ridiculously making several attempts of catching it ,he stood waiting for air to come back to him. 

His stomach took an instant drop as the bluish-white being fluttered it's glimmering wings and settled on his right thumb. He could be wrong but if he was right , this was a "Fairy".

“Hello, I’m harry” he said, turning his hand for the fairy to settle in his palm at which the joyful fairy grew brighter.

Giddy with excitement he thought "I should go to Hagrid’s or Maybe I could go to Hermione and Ron. Nope, I am going to spend quality time with the fairy before it fly's away."

"Do you have a name?" he asked, moving the being to his left hand. The fairy taking it as a signal swirled his right hand. 

"I’m sorry but I don’t understand fairy symbols" , he choked on his urge to burst out laughing.

Now lighter in the company of the being, he said "Things... Have not been that great I suppose but when are things ever perfect right?"

Nothing else to worry about, he gazed at the night sky filled with hundreds of fairy lights surrounded by the strikingly fresh scent of Hogwarts grounds. 

Feeling better than before, he tucked his wand to his back and lift the fairy with both his hands making it flutter it's wings excitedly into nothingness. Leaving something cool and solid ,glimmering in it's place.

“Mr. Potter” , a deep and rough voice startled him. 

To find Alastor moody behind him was definitely going in to the list of the unusual things that happened to him today.

“Professor” he said quickly covering up his shock.

“You don’t want to be out of your dormitory at curfew, do you?” he said drowning the juice he always carried.

“No, professor”, harry replied feeling a bit edgy.

“Now hurry up, before I’m forced to give you detention on your first day” , he said patting Harry’s back.

In a merry hurry towards Hogwarts , Harry tripped on a stone second time that day and this time he was sure that he bruised himself. 

“Bloody stones” he cursed at the sight of blood oozing from his forearms.

Professor Moody quickly helped him gain his balance and with a close look at his arm said as if in trance, “we can’t have You getting hurt before you fulfill your duty, can we?” 

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you are trying to say professor”, Harry hissed in pain unconsciously.

A look of terror passed the professor’s face before he walked away swiftly, leaving harry speechless.

\------------------------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------- ------------------------------ ---------------

Draco was right, that stupid sap Noah was still waiting for him at their usual stop.

“what an idiot”

For all the snide comments he made about Noah, people would be wrong if they thought Draco didn’t enjoy the boy’s company and the fact that he had come here instead of going to his dormitory said everything.

“you better have a good reason to call me out at this ungodly hour, Taylor” Malfoy said sternly.

“You gave me a fright, Draco” Noah startled and went on to pick the package that had fallen from his hands a few seconds ago. 

“Is that?” Draco said already thinking about the choice of gift Noah had brought for him.

“Yes, a personalized gift from flourish and blots ”, he said handing over the brown package to Draco.

“that’s very sly of you, Noah.So, what do you want this time?” Draco asked mischievously.

“Nothing”, Noah replied coolly.

"Why do I doubt that?" Draco said let down a bit and quickly jump to unwrapping the package which for some reason just won't come undone.

“let me help you with that”, Noah said while moving to take the package from Draco's hand who dodged his every attempt with ease. His competitive spirit settling in he settled on brute strength to snatch it away from Draco and found himself shoved away with “Don’t touch me, Noah."

“That’s it, you are giving that to me now” Noah commanded to which Draco put his tongue out.

Noah being the Ravenclaw he is, knew exactly what to do and whispered a giggling charm. Draco who heard the words just fraction of seconds later managed to say “no, you didn’t” before he fell down convulsing.

Draco who didn’t believe in admitting defeat, kept threatening Noah with broken words like “you,u u u are goi to pay f… this” while fighting with his fits of laughter.

“I doubt that” Noah said with his dimples on full display.

“yo.. smu. bas..ard , st..p sm..ling ” he said trying to stand on his legs.

Noah who had underestimated Draco’s ability was soon wrestled down and attacked with the brown Package. The slytherin now firmly planted on his solar plexus.

“Ouch, ouch, that hurts” cried out Noah before starting to laugh at Draco’s crazed state.

“Wh—at?”

“you look funny” replied Noah bravely and was rewarded with harder hits and finally gave in “sorry, sorry, I give up, finite”

Draco free from the spell lay next to Noah his stomach hurting from all the madness and as his determined grey eyes fell on uncertain blue ones, he covered the inches between them and locked their lips in a deep kiss, his hands expertly moving to Noah soft brunette hair and then to his neck.

With desire clouding his senses, Draco broke the kiss with a lot of effort “let’s take this somewhere else”.

Noah flushed and out of breath could only nod his head as Draco Malfoy, snuck them into an abandoned classroom.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------

Ron Weasley moved restlessly about the common room thinking of plausible scenarios of where his best friend could have disappeared after the feasts.

"Did somebody attack him?"

"Did he faint?"

"Was he on a secret mission?"

“What was with harry always disappearing on him and Hermione? He could be insensitive like that” he thought, though he completely understood his friends plight and did not believe in making him feel bad about his decisions.

“Where would harry go after the feast?”

To meet the Head master, probably or maybe he decided to take a stroll through the castle as he immensely enjoyed walking for some reason and most often than not Ron preferred to stay back in the dormitory during those ungodly hours.

“Harry would come back to the dormitory any minute now”

“This is the 64th time, I’m saying that to myself”

“why do I even remember that? , Hermione must have rubbed off on me through the years”.

He was sure she would have been there with him right now, if she had not consumed the milk chocolate offered by George and Fred which had made her hair stand like she was hit with a lightning bolt and the adorably hilarious sight had made him laugh his head off , blimey! his brothers would have been doomed if she was a revengeful person.

“Is Harry not back yet?”, Hermione asked worried.

His heart beat took an extra leap at the recognition of Hermione’s familiar voice, which Ronald Weasley’s mind directly took as a sign of fear and consequence of his troubled mind.

“Nope”, he said his eyes taking in the towel tower which covered her hair and rubbed his sweaty hands over his pants.

“it’s not so bad is it?” Hermione said making sure that the towel had not fallen off.

“it’s better than before” he said honestly.

A small smile appeared on Hermione’s tense face and now comfortable she was back to being herself “Did you look for the Marauder’s map, Ron?”

“Couldn’t find it in his trunk” he said moving a hand through his hair.

They were interrupted when the fat lady boomed “Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, your friend Harry Potter is standing outside as he doesn’t know the password”

“Harry”, they said in sync before rushing to open the door.

"What happened, Harry?" Hermione said helping a limping Harry reach the couch.

“Just a little scratch” harry said trying to look normal.

Ron who didn’t believe a word his friend said couldn’t help but make a comment on his appearance “Scratch?, you look like a Hippogriff ran over you” and earned a glare from a worried Hermione.

“More like, I fell down while running”, harry replied not able look at their eyes for he had yet again managed to worry them.

Ron couldn’t help but feel a bit lighter at his friend’s arrival and took a seat next to him “bloody hell, you scared us mate, so what happened?”.

Harry who was about to explain everything to his friend closed his mouth at Hermione’s reproachful look, Ron who followed the cue after a few seconds refrained to ask further questions too.

Both Harry and Ron knew exactly what Hermione was about to say and spoke immediately.

“let’s not go to the infirmary” pleaded Harry.

“Infirmary, it is” complied Ron.

Hermione who was really going to talk about the infirmary cleared her throat and looked straight at Harry while speaking in her steel like voice “we are going to the infirmary, no matter what you say Harry” and Ron couldn’t help but admire Hermione in that moment.

Hermione and Ron stood on either side of Harry, helping him make it to the infirmary. Harry though grateful for his friend’s help couldn’t help but feel annoyed at this forced trip to Madame Pompfrey and to make things worse his knee hurt like hell every time Ron and Hermione accidentally bumped into it.

After thousand steps or more, they finally reached the infirmary. Harry’s breath shallow and his mind on overdrive, took in the little sounds that surrounded them, from their footsteps to the distant clicking sound accompanied by the eerie silence of the night, the moonlight made the infirmary feel dark and ominous and a terrible feeling went down Harry’s spine as the place suddenly held close resemblance to the place in his dreams.

With his grip slipping away, Harry’s eyes last fell on the crescent moon before darkness surrounded him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hermione’s tired eyes took in her gold and red surroundings and everything came back to her, Madame Pompfrey had not been surprised at all by seeing them and immediately took care of Harry’s injuries, after which she and Ron were advised to leave and come back in the morning.

Her hands immediately went to her neck which miraculously did not hurt, thanks to the pillow and the warm colorful blanket around her.

“Morning” came the voice from Fred and George, who were sitting in the opposite couch discussing an effective spell to remove the ill side effect of their new experiment.

“Fred, George, what are you doing in the girl’s ….?” And then it hit Hermione that she was sleeping in their common hall and got up with a start. As she looked around, there was Kyle Anderson from second year and Sophie Green from third year solving a wizarding Puzzle.

“Good morning” she greeted the occupants before tip toeing to the girl’s dormitory in embarrassment and it was determined from the moment she woke up that Ron Weasley was going to get it from her , to have left the unsuspecting her in the arena of mischief and pranks. Though in the end the thought never turned to action as she felt indecisiveness grip her at the sight of the colorful blanket with the initial ‘R’.

Not feeling a bit time sensitive she got ready and left for the great hall with a 5th year charms guide in hand. Though her eyes were on the book, her mind failed to take in anything which ended her futile attempt of trying to do something productive.

"Was Ron still in bed when you left, Neville?" she asked half smiling.

"Ron, I haven’t seen him since feast. I slept early yesterday", he replied with a little smile of his own.

“He must be with, Harry” she thought and tried to reach the infirmary as fast as her legs would take her. The infirmary lay inhabited in pin drop silence except harry and she was about to walk away before she saw a pair of shoes below Harry’s bed and moved to gently remove the invisibility cloak off Ron.

The photographic memory of last night came to her, she and Ron had engaged themselves in something or the other after reaching the dormitory and she had curled herself on the sofa as her eyes felt heavy after reading 5th year charms guide. After which Ron had been considerate enough to tuck her well with a soft pillow and his favorite blanket.

“You are unbelievable, aren’t you?” she thought and made herself comfortable in the bed nearby, with an hour left for Madame Pompfrey or students to check on Harry she could finally analyze her text in peace.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------


	3. FIRE AND WATER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are having an amazing day!!!

Draco was grumpy and irritated as he had not managed to get a brink of sleep last night and who was the cause for this INSOMNIA, it was even obvious to the walls of Hogwarts now, who else could ruin his sleep than “harry f , GREAT!! He was finding it hard to say FUCK because of “P-O-T-T-E-R”

“Isn’t it too early… for your face to be rotten” Pansy said yawning.

“You look like a cow, when you do that” Draco retorted.

“Says the cat who looks like a dementor”, she said matter of factly.

“For the thousandth time, stop calling me a cat and I don’t look like a dementor” , he replied offended at being compared to the ugly creature.

Granger and Weasley entered the room looking gloomier than ever and Draco’s eyes remained at the door waiting for Potter to show his stupid face and turned away disappointed. That boy was going to the death of him one day, Draco was sure of it.

Draco’s curiosity was killing him, and he failed to concentrate in the compulsory muggle studies class. What had the old man said? Yes, something around “We are at times when it’s extremely crucial to build your opinions based from experience and knowledge than blissful ignorance, hence it is arranged that fourth and fifth year students will have compulsory muggle studies from this year”

Knowledge was precious to Draco and it was below him to dismiss it just because it revolved around the muggles but that didn’t mean he had to enjoy it and today it felt like he had grown deaf for some reason.

Draco had failed to hear Professor McGonagall calling him and it’s only when Pansy pinched his arm was he brought back to reality.

“Mr. Malfoy, are you feeling sick?”

“I’m good, Professor”, he replied in a daze.

“Good, because if you are feeling sick I want you to the leave the classroom now and remember your full attention is required in the classroom otherwise”

There was something in her voice, which made Draco admit the truth that he was not feeling great after all and he walked out concluding that all the overthinking was making him nauseous.

\-------- --- ---- -----

Harry entered a pitch-dark room and the only sound that reached his ear was of a snake.

“Everything is set in motion, master” the snake hissed.

“it is far too soon for us to pass judgement, Nagini”, the faint and hollow voice made a chill go through Harry’s spine. A feeling of dread built in his gut and his feet decided to take him away from this place.

“There’s someone here, master”

“I know” came the dead reply.

Harry’s eyes opened momentarily before lapsing to sleep in a few seconds again.

He was running again, but this time not from fear but in search of something. He could sense its presence but the further he went towards its source, the farther away it seemed to him. He was going to find it no matter how long it took, the sky was dark now and his legs felt stiff and painful to move ahead.

As he sat down on the wet field, he first noticed the moon and the shiny stars. A peculiar star moved from its eternal positioning and moved towards him in a zig zag motion and in a flash his fairy friend came to his mind and he stood up energetic anticipating to hold his little friend.

Everything seemed perfect as the little being settled on his thumb finger before the fairy’s wings fell off and the creature started writhing in his hand”

“No, no”, nothing Harry did helped the fairy and instead made it struggle even more. His chest hurt, this could not be happening, he won’t let anything happen to it.

Uncle Vernon who looked at him with disgust spit out “you are a FREAK, boy”.

“wake up, wake up, Harry” vibrated a strange voice in his head.

Harry’s eyes fell on a very familiar Hufflepuff student and he waited patiently for his legs and hands to stop trembling before he spoke to the stranger.

Cedric who knew more than a bit about healing and potions, didn’t hesitate to quickly pick the correct potion from the number of other bottles kept on the table beside Harry and handed it to him.

“Drink this, it will make you feel better”

Harry who had learnt to be suspicious about strangers, couldn’t help but feel a bit wary of the Hufflepuff standing in front of him.

“what is that?” he asked with a sore throat.

“It’s Vierta”, Cedric replied before he burst out laughing at the even more confused face of harry and then spoke in a clear and calm tone “I’m sorry, it’s a potion which regulates your body temperature and magic”.

Harry who was half convinced and done with waiting for the trembling to stop, took the potion offered and drank it in a gulp, which had a soothing effect on him.

“Thanks” he replied gratefully

“Any time” Cedric said with a warm smile.

Harry blurt out curiously “you a healer?”

“Not yet, but fully intend to be one someday”

“Only, if you manage to clear your Newts”, said Madame Pompfrey checking Harry’s progress.

“Oh, I will” Cedric answered confidently.

“Who’s over-confident in their abilities now?” she said in a complaining voice, Cedric who immediately caught on repeated from memory, the exact words Madam Pompfrey had told a 12 year old him “It’s one of the basic job requirements, Dear”.

Harry who had immediately sensed the change in Madame Pompfrey’s attitude while talking to Cedric, didn’t realize the inside joke that they shared and shifted uncomfortably trying to pull the blanket from below him.

“You Harry, are free to leave after an hour” she said with her last wand movement.

Madame Pompfrey who knew Harry very well now decided to warn him, “Harry, you are not to over-exert your feet, for the next few weeks or the consequences will be severe this time” and “you Cedric Diggory, what are you doing here during class hours?”

\--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------

Draco’s day could not get worse than it already had, his study time was hijacked by clingy pure blood preachers who couldn’t stop talking about their magical traditions and how it enhanced the magical world by its presence and now the Hogwarts idiotic student body had decided to plough him to the earth and If not for the light nausea that had gripped him, he would have found a way to hex them

“Blasted Ill-mannered Skrewts”

With his vision clear and headache completely gone, Harry felt his fighting spirit coming back to him. There was no doubt that his life was not getting easier any time soon, but he now felt sure he would find a way to make it work when the time came. He a doer than thinker refused to dwell further on his internal framework and instead took in the lively faces of the people walking by him “It feels good to be back again”

Draco thought of asking his mother to send him those chocolates that she brought from Paris, they would be so much better than the ever-annoying wizard and witches he encountered daily. Of course, Noah, Pansy and Blaise were irritating too in their own ways, but they were close to him, which made his tolerance increase considerably “Miss Pans and Blaise would be flirting somewhere right about now, while Noah would probably be in his dorm having a heavy debate, so predictable”

Harry who was people person and a private individual at the same time had his own way of making the two extremities of his personality meet. There were times like today where he would just lose his balance and most of the time his best friends were the individuals who faced the brunt of his “complete isolation” or “heightened social skills” and a grateful feeling settled in his chest “I should probably go to the kitchen and get Ron and Hermione a little snack”.

Draco who saw a Gryffindor carrying a broom in her hand couldn’t help but think of “Potter”, unfortunately he failed to see a flare in her which was ever exuding from Saint Potter and as the thought came to him an alien sensation engulfed him “stupid Potter and his stupid hair”.

A little boy mostly a first year with pale complexion had tripped on his robes and harry swiftly lift the boy up, the boy instantly corrected his robes and scowling took a step back from Harry “I don’t need your help, Mr. Harry Potter”.

“Of course, you don’t” he replied smoothly and brushed the little boy’s hair and ended up making the boy scowl harder instead of making a truce and a strange thought occurred to him “Nobody in this world could defeat Malfoy’s classic look of sneering and scowling.”

Harry and Draco were left speechless as the figure in their thoughts turned out to be right around the corner.

Harry eye’s first fell on Malfoy’s parted hairs and then everything. The grey eyes in front of him bore a strange expression and he found it hard to decipher them. The only thing he knew for certain was his body refused to move from its Position till he figured out what Malfoy was playing at this time. “Not hate, not disgust, not jealousy. It very much, almost seemed like concern which meant he was not in his right mind yet”.

Draco refrained from looking at Potter’s distracting emerald eyes and instead his eyes took in the slight color that Potter’s skin had gained from before, if not for his excellent observational skills he would have really missed Potter leaning on his left leg more than the right, His hands were plastered at different places making him look more absurd than ever , which in Potter’s case didn’t alarm him a bit “ Saint Potter is back” he thought.

Harry had decided not to lose in whatever weird competition that Malfoy had engaged them in. His decision started to waver as no sarcastic words and foul looks came his way. This whole Malfoy staring at him like he was one of Michelangelo’s sculpture was starting to make him nervous and out of place.

As Draco finally allowed himself to look at Potter, his perplexed emerald green eyes immediately looked away. A wince spread across Potter’s sweaty face as his right ankle succumbed to the pressure and something told Draco that Potter wouldn’t move unless he did, even if it meant damaged body parts and he chose to walk away as if what he saw was of no consequence to him whatsoever.

Harry’s legs which took Malfoy’s departure as a sign to give out, lost all its previous strength and he carefully took a seat on the stairs. His hurting feet became the least of his concern as the thoughts of “Draco Bloody Malfoy” filled his being.

“what in the hell was that, why did he walk away without winning the game?” and anger burst in him as the answer came to him “That’s right, the high and mighty Malfoy felt pity for his incompetent rival with injuries”

“How dare you? How dare you walk out on me?”

Anyone who knew Harry would have fallen for his reasoning but deep inside he knew his Slytherin side had cleverly dodged a bullet by directing his anger at the revolting pity Malfoy had bestowed on him, which made things clearer or simple for him. When his Gryffindor side had already acknowledged it as an “act of kindness” comparing their previous competitive and hateful streak towards each other which was ready to topple everything he ever believed in.

His anger subsided as fast as it had arisen and was replaced by a mind-boggling vulnerability and defenselessness, he didn’t know was ever possible to feel out in the open.

________________________________________________________________ ----

Draco was moving to his dormitory when he saw something very peculiar, his DADA professor Mr. Alastor moody was walking out of Severus’s office with a small wooden box with rose engraved on it and if he was not wrong it contained the standard potion ingredients, the wooden box in Moody’s hand was identical to the one mother had gifted him.

Why would a former Auror and defense teacher need a potions kit?

Well, there were more interesting things in life than dwelling on Professor Moody, like dwelling on Potter’s stubborn nature or plotting a major prank on Pansy and Blaise. A brilliant idea passed through Draco’s head and all he needed was a few Galleons.

He carefully poured a thick red liquid into his glass of apple juice, the red liquid turned translucent when mixed in the juice, leaving no signs of the added ingredient.

“the lambs have come to the slaughter” he thought as Pansy and Blaise took their usual seats, their dumb faces were making it hard for him to compose his usual mask of superiority and detachment. “let the game begin”.

He kept twirling his glass in a clock wise direction as Pansy spoke “I think I’m going to be crushed by our boring routine”.

Blaise who felt the complete opposite, opposed her view “I on the other hand believe that doing your work gives you immense satisfaction, it’s all about one’s attitude”.

“Attitude, Gratitude, nonsense! What is life without a little fun?” she asked Draco who for some reason was paying attention to them and commented on Draco’s secret meetings “at least someone is having fun here”.

“Come on, pour it out, why do you look like someone has plastered your face?” she enquired.

Draco had to decide fast , should he tell her the “half-truth or complete lie”, the half Truth it is “I, Draco Malfoy, had tasteless Pasta today”, he said it with such vigor that he could fool anyone that it was the reason for his distress and with that his heartless companions burst out laughing at his misery.

“your refined tastes will never be met outside your Manor, Darling”, Pansy said and winked at her fifth-year admirer Joshua hill who was indifferent to everything except for his fascination for traditional methods of wizardry and food.

“Truth is one bitter companion” Blaise added sympathetic of Draco’s plight.

Draco already initiating his second act replied “well, I asked the elf to bring me an apple juice, which turned out be the most horrible thing I drank in my existence”

Blaise and Pansy who knew Draco had the tendency to exaggerate took the glass from him and drank their favorite juice one after the other.

“I don’t know what could satisfy you, if that didn’t?” said Blaise not feeling Sympathetic anymore, no one had the right to call this heavenly drink bad.

“Potter might”, added Pansy rejoicing as she he had hit the bull’s eye.

“stop tarnishing my reputation with such preposterous assumptions” Draco tried to say coolly but failed as the memories of Potter rejecting his friendship for the pathetic Weasel came to him. Looking at the empty glass in Pansy’s hand signaled his other successful mission.

“I’m marvelous”, the little victory filled his being.

That night a blonde Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini with a girly and bubbly voice tried to hex Draco who lay peacefully in his bed, with his curtains entailed with a shielding spell.

\-----------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------------


	4. Feels terribly right...

Ginny Weasley was pretty sure that only a few from the team, would voluntarily come to practice Quidditch so early in the morning but she had regardless passed the message that the head of their house wanted them to start practicing as early as possible and even suggested to use the pitch in the mornings for some reason. Hence what she saw left her jaw open for a long time.

Not only had the entire team assembled but seemed to be enjoying themselves and she flew towards their beater Kate McMillan.

“What happened?” She asked her more confused than ever.

“Trials”, Kate replied her full concentration on the balls flying around.

And?

“It was Harry, he came up with the idea of dividing ourselves into rival teams and having fun”, she said in a strained tone. “By the way, you can be our seeker as Harry is on the other team currently”.

Though doubtful for a second, Ginny braced herself for the challenge “sure”. She flew towards Harry who was having a vivid conversation with their new captain ‘Kyle Green’.

“Which one of you, would like to share some seeker tips to me?” she asked more excited than ever.

“you are up, expert”, Green said pointing at Harry.

Harry signaled her to follow him and moved towards the center of the pitch “SELLING SECRETS OVER HERE”, he said brimming with energy and she moved right next to him.

Ginny who was having fun already added in a low secretive tone “So, what’s your secret Harry?”

“Well”, harry spoke in a low voice and then shifted to his carefree advice tone “Just concentrate on the snitch, Gin and you’ll be fine”

“Really?”, she said not believing Harry for a second.

“Yep, that’s it” he said plainly.

“I don’t believe you”, she said expecting a more complex advice from Harry.

“How do I say this? It’s just ‘You’ and the ‘Snitch’, Gin” harry replied from memory of those exhilarating moments floating in his mind and his breath caught in his throat as he saw the snitch not a few feet away from him.

“What?”

Harry’s world once again narrowed to nothing but the snitch in front of him and he moved swiftly to not lose its sight “seems like the game just began”.

Harry had no intentions of catching the snitch before the last few minutes and was easily blocking Ginny’s every move towards the snitch and before his thoughts could move towards certain blonde it came to an abrupt stop as he turned back to see Ginny in pain.

Her flaming pony tail had come undone and her face could not be seen covered with hair “You all right, Gin”, he said worried.

“I’m great, Harry” she said and surprised him as she glided past him with her posture recovering in seconds, “that was clever” he said Quickly catching up to Ginny’s Broom.

“I know, right”, she said now using Harry’s own method to block him from the snitch.

“stealing my method is ‘cheating’ you know”, he said now very close to the snitch himself.

“Oh, no, I was just borrowing it” she said pushing harry away from the snitch.

Harry who had gone easy on Ginny for the first half of the game, now found it hard to break his own Pattern and asked her thoroughly impressed “Tell me Gin is this your first time going behind a snitch?”

“Kind of, but I guess I have tried it a few times before”, she replied at her own pace as she didn’t want to lose the pattern that she was holding.

Harry took a deep breath in and tried to figure his own flying style and if he was correct he had learnt that pattern while trying stop Malfoy from coming any close to him and the pattern would never last for more than a few minutes as Malfoy had great balance and flexibility , which led him to completely focus on the snitch and snitch only.

Ginny who was finding it hard to concentrate on the snitch for any longer, closed her eyes for a few seconds and as she opened her eyes found Harry next to her.

“Nice to see you again”, he said mischievously and swiftly moved to his goal.

The match grew intense as the players grew close together, which led to lots of dodging and moving if you didn’t want your bones broken. The snitch had disappeared in the crowd and both the seekers were left frantic and breathless.

“Where are you?” harry thought and first scanned the surroundings around Ginny as he most often found the snitch around his Rival. It was while flying towards a dejected Ginny that harry found the snitch hovering near the goal post, Ginny who followed his sight finally saw it too.

The seekers shared a look of all the best before moving on to their target , Harry steadied his broom and moved at high speed and lifted his right hand to catch the snitch which was mere inches from him now and the image of Ginny’s dejected image came to his mind “Would it be wrong , if I let her win this game?”

As the answer came to him, he slowed his pace for a few seconds while pretending to lose balance and Ginny who was very close to the snitch, caught it and had a look which clearly said, “I can’t believe I beat Harry Potter, the youngest seeker at Hogwarts”. Her radiant smile finally returned leaving Harry happy and full of pride for the girl in front of him.

Ginny who finally managed to look at Harry with his warm smile and clapping hands was dawned by a new understanding “He had let her win”, with annoyance coursing through her veins she wanted to confront him about his actions. Now standing face to face with his kind emerald eyes shining with pride, she couldn’t help but feel loved and everything came to her with clarity “Her crush for Harry was slowly growing into something more and she could do nothing but submit to her storming emotions”.

Draco woke up with a start and moved to take a hot bath as he wouldn’t fall asleep again and its only after his luxurious bath and dressing did yesterday’s event struck him, he had played a hilarious prank on Blaise and Pansy and the memory of which made him check himself thoroughly. He then dreadfully walked towards the mirror, the sight in the mirror made all his worries disappear.

_The losers failed to break my spell…_

As he moved towards his destination, he couldn’t help but feel that all people that walked by him were especially admiring him today which increased his smug attitude even more “can’t help my splendid looks, can I?”

He saw the golden trio walking towards him and was about to walk past them indifferently before Weasley started laughing at him, while Granger was trying to contain her smile and Potter looked like somebody had stupefied him. Anyways looking at them was spoiling his mood and he stormed away.

The boys and girls around him were paying more attention to him than ever and he rushed to the abandoned bathroom and saw elegant roses and branches tattooed on the right side of his face and at a closer look found a tiny scribbling of _amor_ on the branch which reached his right eyebrow and no further. Luckily his chin was left untouched and the branches instead moved down his neck.

“I look like Madame D’Souza, the muggle born who had enchanted the wizarding men with her charm and revolted the witches who blamed her for corrupting their supposed ‘noble’ husbands, what a sham that was”.

He felt a shudder pass through him as the revolting image of his father’s right arm carved with the skull and serpent came to his mind and he was gripped with a sudden urge to scratch the right side of his face off. He just hoped Blaise and Pansy were not that spiteful to leave a permanent mark on his face.

The unusual reaction of anxiousness and agitation that he felt as a child by looking at the mark had carried on to his adulthood and the more he thought of the reason , the more troubled he would feel as the symbol signified nothing but his beliefs of Blood Purity and with time he had concluded that he disliked any kind of permanent mark on his skin.

He would have tried an anti-spell, but he knew it would make things only worse and moved to their first class with his head down for the first time in his life.

He was late to class and the only place left for him was the last bench which was usually occupied by the Gryffindors “My day is just getting better and better” and he flushed as Filtwick’s eyes widened for a fraction of second before allowing him in.

Draco who was fully aware of the attention that he was getting from the class, did not look at anything but the notes in front of him , Charms was a subject which did not come easily to him and he was left in a dilemma of looking at the professor along with the insufferable student body gawking at him or not looking at anyone at all.

As he slowly raised his head, he found that not everyone in the class was interested in making him feel miserable and tried to concentrate on the wand motion that Professor Filtwick was demonstrating.

Draco who had all intentions of getting high scores in the upcoming O.W.L.S, soon focused on the lecture and forgot about his funny face.

Harry who had decided to avoid Draco Malfoy at all costs after the weird mind games last time, failed miserably to concentrate in the class as his eyes kept moving towards the awe-striking sight of the elegant rose tattoo which contrasted heavily with Malfoy’s sharp features, which had the effect of making him look more human than ever.

He looks terrible, doesn’t he? said Ron in a jolly mood after being greeted to the horrid sight of Malfoy.

Who? asked Harry for the sake of it.

“Malfoy, of course” Ron said with a full-on smile coming to his lips.

Harry who didn’t agree a bit with his friend, refused to speak his mind and tried again to concentrate on the lecture and Hermione who never shied from speaking her mind said “Well, it’s not as bad as you are making it out to be, I think the tattoo has instead enhanced his features”.

Harry who felt the tension growing in Ron said the first thing that came to his mind “Well, his handsome looks do cover up his foul personality”.

The oddity of their best friend calling his nemesis Handsome was not lost on Ron and Hermione and they were reminded of all the times when Harry seemed to know the most unusual details from which Pasta Malfoy liked to which side he carried his bag.

“Well, He still looks like a buffoon to me” Ron said after having a side look at Malfoy.

Harry who had now given up on listening to the classes was admiring the rose tattoo towards his right and replied absent mindedly to Ron “Guess you need glasses to…”

Draco who could feel someone’s eyes over him for the past half an hour turned to scowl at them and found Potter looking straight at him, with his mind going blank in that moment he refused to turn his head in Potter’s direction again and scribbled away whatever he heard in his surroundings.

“what the hell was Potter thinking? making him feel uncomfortable”.

“why not?, Potter found it his moral duty to make his life miserable”.

Everyone’s musing came to a halt as Professor Flitwick , passed a scroll to each bench and he spoke loud and clear “The scroll in front of you has all the rules and regulations of the O.W.L.S practical mock test which is set to happen at the end of this month , on the basis of which your skill set would be brought to our notice”

The student body was excited and started exchanging looks with each other.

Filtwick , who saw the excitement die down a little continued “ however, considering various factors , it was decided to pair the students in two to complete this assignment “

Sir, won’t it be like cheating? Asked Hermione who didn’t approve of the team method at all.

Hardly, Miss Granger, the test will conjure up different ways to test you and hence team work will only make the individuals involved more effective and team work is a skill of its own.

Harry who felt angry at himself for letting himself getting carried by Pointy gits and roses, finally looked away. “The roses are mesmerizing but the million-dollar question, why was Malfoy so ill at ease, when he loved the attention?”

Flitwick, who was sure that Mr. Potter had not heard a word from his lecture decided him to engage him in something else other than day dreaming “Mr. Potter would you be kind enough to announce the teams?”

Harry with a nod, moved towards the books case and picked up the parchment and read it out aloud”

“Zabini and lavender”

“ _oh”_

“Dean and Bullstrode”

“what _were the teacher’s thinking when preparing this recipe for Disaster?”_

“Neville and Parkinson”

“ _Poor Neville”_

“Ron and Seamus”

“ _the fun duo, I wanted to partner with Ron or Hermione, hopefully she’s partnered with me”_

“Malfoy and Hermione”

_"WHAT? This can’t be right, this must be a mistake, I’ll talk to the professor before he leaves"_

Harry who was too focused on Hermione’s problem, read the list as fast as possible and failed to pay attention to his partner Nott, who looked like a psychopathic killer, as calm and collected as possible from the outside but raging from inside….

All the students except Ron and Seamus were having a mental Break down and that’s exactly what the professors had planned for, to test their skills in the most stressful of situation.

A mute by choice Blaise and an ugly cap wearing Pansy had a field day, trying to ward off the attention they were getting, but their humiliation was reduced to a piece of cake at the arrival of Rosy Draco and the duo felt victorious at the sight of Draco.

“Draco darling, you look gorgeous”, said pansy viciously.

“So do you, Parkinson” said Draco sitting next to her.

Blaise who was trying to control his laughter for a long time, burst out when Draco looked at him, whose squeaky sound made Pansy and Draco laugh too.

“you guys are devil incarnates” said Blaise, not trying to hide his soft voice anymore, which started another round of laughter.

“whose idea was it to spoil my perfect features with thorny roses?” asked Draco and then understood by the silence that it was the both of them. “To be honest, it’s a real good prank, I’m going to use it someday to”.

“See I told you Draco would love it” , Pansy said smirking at Blaise.

“Please tell me the spell will wear off tonight” said Blaise hopefully.

“Mostly” , Draco said Nonchalantly.

Blaise and Pansy who knew what the next question would be, packed their stuff and decided to flee as they really had no idea how to remove the luck by chance rosy spell that they had cast on Draco after many failures.

“Where are you two going?” asked Draco.

“None of your business, sweet heart”, Pansy winked at Draco before pulling Blaise away.

Draco smiled wickedly as he had made Pansy’s cap transparent and spelled Blaise to always reply when spoken to.

“idiots”

______________ ________________ _________________ _________________________

Hermione who had planned in advance for all the work she was about to cover in the semester felt wrecked at having “Malfoy” as her partner and she couldn’t stop bantering to Harry and Ron of her mountain like worries “even if I do manage to be professional and do my work well , will Malfoy co-operate?”

“I’m going to fail for the first time in my life because I got a pure blood maniac as my Partner”, she cried out

“what am I to do?” her words dripping with utmost sincerity.

“Maybe you can talk to the professor and ask to be paired again with someone else?”, Harry suggested after his epic failure of reasoning with their Charms Professor.

Ron who was listening to the conversation carefully replied, “No matter how I look at it, You and Malfoy working seems impossible to me, I’m sure you can convince Filtwick if you tried ‘mione”.

There was something about backing out first that didn’t sit well with Hermione and she decided to face the challenge head on…

“I’m going to talk to Malfoy”

Ron lost it at her words “You Mad, Hermione?”

“I’m Perfectly sane, thank you” she puffed and looked at Harry for some approval as her idea though right made a feeling of bitterness rise in her.

Harry gave her a re-assuring look which said, “you do what you have to do, we have your back” and as he knew his best friends better than himself there was no speck of doubt that they were more than happy to remain in their state of inertia than deal with the terrible task at hand and added “let’s get it done with , shall we?”

“No”, came Ron and Hermione’s response for very different reasons but they stood united in their decision of avoiding the unnatural situation as much as Possible. Harry who was not simply considered as a Slytherin by the sorting hat said in a submissive tone “All right then, a few sleepless nights won’t be that exhausting, will it?”

Ron and Hermione who in that moment imagined their future selves worrying about Malfoy agreed to Harry without further arguments.

\----------------------------- -------------------- ----------------------- --------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy the little moments between Draco and Harry , so a little treat for us...
> 
> _Drarry_love_
> 
> Harry: Why is it Drarry? , it could have been Hraco... 
> 
> Draco stops reading the daily prophet and looks at Harry as if he was dealing with an idiot , "don't you have the knack in stating the obvious Potter"
> 
> "Is it because it sounds better than Hraco?" , Harry said sheepishly.
> 
> "Never mind , thinking is not for you" , Draco moved on to drink his now cold tea.
> 
> "Is it because you loved me first?" , Harry said not so innocently this time.
> 
> A RED FACED DRACO - i did no such thing Pottah.....FEW SECONDS LATER...but come to think of it, I was less of an idiot between us two.
> 
> HARRY SPITTING HIS DRINK...( did i just get my first confession?) 
> 
> ========hope u have a great day ahead , guys......


	5. The impossible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys,
> 
> I have been working on my writing...
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy it...

Harry felt like he was on a mission as he searched for Malfoy, the gryffindor's and slytherin's had breaks at the same time , which ruled out the possibility of him being in a class. 

The great hall was not an option as Malfoy had a peculiar habit of only appearing at the hall for food or at grand events. 

There was million places in the castle that he could actually be but somehow his gut told him if there was one place that Malfoy would always go to is the library. 

"let's go to the library" Harry said beaming at his friends. One look at Hermione and all his adventure whooshed away as she looked at the verge of breakdown. "We don't have to go, if you don't want to hermione".

Ron finally breathing added "you finally said something meaningful mate , lets go back and beat some opponents at chess".

Hermione who couldn't decide what the best option was started to walk to the dorm with her friends and stopped abruptly as the thought of allowing the slimy cockroach to defeat her appeared. 

"let's get this done with , Harry".

Ron tried to skip the intended meaning and said "yes, let's get to our dormitory as soon as possible".

Harry looked at his friends with amusement, where Hermoine looked as if she was going to hit her head against the wall and Ron looked as if he swallowed something bad. 

  
The weather outside the castle turned to out to be freezing and the quadrangle which led to the library was filled with students from different years. 

"Don't you think it is crowded today , Ron? " , Harry asked curious from the sight in front of him. 

Ron who was imagining drinking a warm drink didn't hear Harry and instead Hermoine replied anxiously " the quadrangle is kind of a hotpot for meetings Harry, it's usually like this here"

Harry being reminded that he seldom went to the library and really wouldn't know anything about gatherings around it , nodded in agreement

Ron who had caught up with Hermione added " It's also said that all kinds of illegal engagements within the houses also happen here"

"that is a Rumor, Ron" , said hermoine chuckling at the idea. 

"All rumors have a source of truth in its making" , Ron said beaming.

Harry who had heard both the sides said smirking " I would like to believe that the people here are assembled for illegal activities rather than boring group discussions"

"Boys" , Hermione waved her head before turning to walk at a faster pace.

Ron who saw Hermione blindly walking straight towards the old age stone at Hogwarts moved quickly to hold her shoulders and directed her away from it. 

"Thanks" Hermione replied flustered realizing the missed painful collision.

"No problem" , Ron replied worried before taking his hands off Hermione as if he was burnt and turned to look at Harry who seemed enchanted and why not? , his crush Cho Chang stood right in front of him"

"Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to...." cho was saying guilty of day dreaming , when Harry cut her off "it's my fault, I shouldn't have been day dreaming here of all places".

"You stole my words" , Cho said with a warm smile.

Harry who felt elated by her presence could only stare at her as she turned to someone calling her name, that someone turned out to be no other than "Cedric diggory" , who was walking straight towards them. 

Tall and well built with his pretty dimples , Harry couldn't help but agree with the fantasies his gryffindor folks shared.

The hufflepuff gently pulled Cho closer to him and placed a light peck on her forehead , so stunned he was by the confidence that it took him a moment to respond to Cedric's greeting. 

"Hello , Cedric".

"Your leg seems to have healed" , Cedric said positively.

Harry stunned again by the genuine concern stuttered "It has, thank you"

Cho who had no idea of their meeting looked at Cedric with a lot of questions.

"Will tell you the story later Cho , got to meet professor Mc. Gonnagal" , Cedric said in a hurry. 

"let's go together" , Cho said with excitement.

With a brief nod to Harry the two walked away and the encounter was so sudden that he would have thought it was a dream if not for the brightly lit library in front of him. 

Ron who was done watching from afar wrapped his arm around Harry's neck " So how did it go?".

"it blew me away", Harry said honestly. 

"if you both are done with gaping at the popular students at Hogwarts , can we move to find Malfoy. The entire reason we are out on this miserable cold day" Hermione said bitingly before dashing into the library.

Harry and Ron feeling a bit guilty carried away moved to join the angry witch , who seemed to have cooled down when they entered the library.

"Sorry about that " , Hermione said looking first at her toes and then at Harry and Ron. 

Harry and Ron shared a smile, before Ron said "Let's check the outer sections first shall we?"

"That won't be needed" , Harry said proudly before walking away. As Ron and Hermoine followed Harry's lead suspiciously, they found that Malfoy in fact was sitting at a desk hidden away behind the racks.

  
"Do you know the Ravenclaw sitting with Malfoy?" , Ron said surprised that the git had followers outside slytherin. 

Hermione who immediately recognized the person said " That's Noah Taylor, the heir to the wizarding world's favorite decorators and designers"

"you mean Cheryll's silver town? " Ron said amazed.

Harry who could not take his eyes off a pleasant faced Malfoy who was talking vividly to a ravenclaw didn't hear a thing that Hermione or Ron said, the sight was so unfamiliar that Harry felt a hollowness settle in his chest the more he kept looking.

He followed his best mates as they moved to sit adequately away from Malfoy. He could not hear what they were saying but he could definitely see the Ravenclaw touching Malfoy like he belonged to him. 

As that thought entered his mind he felt the hollowness being replaced by a burning need to break something , with his nails digging into his palm he was finally able to divert his attention to his friends who were in a middle of discussion.

"Like you usually say we are brewing a disaster, Hermione" , Ron said in his most persuading voice.

"Yes , that is the case but I would fail the test If I don't try to make the potion at all Ron" , said hermoine a little hopefully , taking long deep breaths she steadied herself for the catastrophe ahead. 

Draco had a hard time keeping a straight face as Noah had taken the responsibility of being a complete idiot at potions.

"After, your splendid explanation Noah Taylor. I have come to a profound conclusion. Draco said trying very hard to be serious.

"And what is that Draco Malfoy?" , Noah said expectantly. 

"The 11 year old me could beat you at Potions anyday" , Draco said with a hint of pride. 

"And that is why I can't take my hands off my boyfriend" , Noah said deviously before moving on to gently run his left hand over Draco's sensitive back. 

With his elegant posture going loose, Draco bit his lip to stop any strange sounds leaving his mouth and he thought "Pansy was right, I'm a freaking cat".

Noah wanting to add a cherry to the finished cake drew close to Malfoy's ear and whispered "Do you think I passed the test of being an excellent tease, Draco"

With his breath uneven Draco turned red while admitting "Yes , you did Noah".

Noah couldnt believe his ears, but it was the truth. Draco had called him by his first name for the first time and he felt tears welling in his eyes "Damn, I need to hide my face before Draco reminds me for the millionth time that I am the sappiest of the sappy group. It's not my fault that the little things like this undo me" he thought while pretending to rub his face.

Draco knew Noah enough to recognize when the brunette was hiding his teary face from him, he could be wrong. 

Noah feeling more comfortable let his hands drop from his now clear face.

The sight of Noah's watery blue eyes confirmed his thought , his hand moved without his permission and he found himself intertwining their fingers and staying there. 

Ron could have done without the sickingly lovely sight of Malfoy and the Cheryll's heir. Merlin! , he was going to have nightmares today.

As the thought "They look good together" popped randomly in Hermione's mind , she felt herself blush "Who Malfoy dates is none of my concern".

If the sight had really distressed someone it was Harry. The more he thought of why it was so, the more angry he felt towards the blonde and the slimy ravenclaw.

"Are you waiting for Christmas Hermione?" , snapped Harry. 

"No, I just didn't want to interrupt his private space" , Hermione replied perplexed by Harry's behavior. 

The term 'private space' created the picture of what he had seen before and he lost it "If that's the case, you better ask Filtwick to change your partner already"

Ron who didn't like Harry's attitude said sternly " You are the one who suggested this bloody idea in the first place, Harry. What's up with you?, you have been bonkers ever since we entered the place".

Harry feeling like a child replied "You are right, sorry Hermione"

Hermione giving a light smile to Ron and Harry replied confidently "Show time".

Noah was the first one to notice, a bushy figure walking towards them. "Miss Granger , this is not going to go down well" , he thought. 

Draco might have come to look at muggle borns in a different light due to a certain someone. Hence, it made it all the more difficult for him to interact with Granger who he had treated not so well all these years.

"it's all that stupid man's fault that I am so confused about anything and everything nowadays" , he thought. 

"Granger, I never thought that you would come" , Draco said as cordially as possible.

Hermione who was ready for a verbal battle felt attacked when all that she heard and saw was civil. "what are you playing at Malfoy?" , she said icily.

"You old man can go eat bitter soup because he was no in hell tolerating the annoying witch" , Draco thought while going on to say in a No nonsense acidic manner " My time is too precious to be spent on playing with you Gran-ger , if it's about the assignment then I'm only free in the mornings before classes?"

Hermione who felt comfortable in Malfoy's usual infuriating self replied "That's great, we can meet on Monday and Thursday's for exchanging ideas and materials".

"Are you dumb? Or are you pretending to be dumb? , Malfoy replied mockingly.

"I AM NOT DUMB, Malfoy" , Hermione replied at a higher pitch thoroughly provoked. 

Malfoy unfazed by her anger replied "What's with the stupid idea? , we are not partners for writing an essay, we are going to be tested practically at every level in the coming test, the only way we can excel is if we spend proper time practicing and studying".

Hermione who had listened to Malfoy carefully replied "so what do you suggest?"

"I suggest that , we schedule our meet ups according to our needs in the coming weeks" , Draco said looking upward at Hermione while drumming his fingers on the desk. 

Hermione couldn't believe what Malfoy was offering, he wanted to spend quality time preparing for the exam and to be honest Hermione was satisfied and even a bit happy that she could work professionally with a person she disliked with all her being.

"Does that mean you want us to meet everyday in the week?" , Hermione said hesitantly.

Draco who was glad for once that Granger was intelligent replied "Yes, we could cut down on our meetings later but the first few weeks need to be this way, if we want to establish a good foundation".

"Brilliant!! " , Hermione said victoriously. 

The sudden burst of friendliness from Gran-ger was too much for Draco and he whispered to Noah "Let's go before I fall sick from all the gryffindor positivity".

Noah couldnt help but giggle at the sentiment and both the boys got up from their seats.

"See you tomorrow at 7, Granger" , Draco said casually , where Noah added "Guess we'll be meeting often too, Miss Granger".

Hermione who was drawing a blank at the mind boggling successful exchange could only nod a bit before the couple walked away holding hands. 

Judging from the Happy figure of Hermione,Harry knew without a doubt that the meeting had gone better than expected yet the sight of Malfoy left him raging for no reason. 

It was only when he moved, that Draco realized that if Granger was here then Potter and the Weasel would be here too, as his eyes wandered in search of the baggy figure his eyes fell on the emerald green eyes which shone with hatred and he would have made it even if not for his throat feeling heavy all of a sudden.

Noah who disliked Harry Potter by default due to Draco's obsession with him, took it upon himself to rush Draco away from the Gryffindor.

Ron who had been holding his breath for so long cursed "Bloody Hell, you alright Hermione? ".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your love and feedback on the work is really appreciated..💙


	6. The nine tailed fox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys, hope you are having a great time.. 
> 
> It has been an amazing experience writing...
> 
> Thank you J.K Rowling to have created this magical world of brilliant characters.
> 
> And
> 
> Thank you amazing readers , who have tuned into this journey.

"Hello yer all, today we'll be meeting the nine tailed fox clan ,who are stayin 'ere for a few days" said Hagrid filled with zeal.

Harry who was excited than ever said "what are we waiting for Hagrid?"

Draco who always paid attention to Harry rolled his eyes at the gryffindor's over enthususiasm.

"We ar gettin there , Harry"

"Before that it is important to remember that the nine tailed fox are intelligent creatures who possesses unique elemental abilities".

When you interact with a nine tailed fox , you need to give a bow and let it come to you. They don't tolerate anykind of mistreatment or disrespect , when saying the last bit Hagrid's eyes immediately went to Malfoy. 

The Blonde who knew he was been addressed shrugged it off.

Hermione was bubbling with various doubts to be cleared when Hagrid moved his wand and a collective gasp escaped their lips as the empty land was now filled with Snow White nine tailed fox who looked ethereal under the sunlight.

Ron who was awestruck said "They are gorgeous".

Hermione who felt her heart stir at the innocent expression of awe could only agree "They are".

The nine tailed fox clan had made a small group as they noticed the Humans surrounding them , one fox in the group seemed excited than the rest. 

Draco felt a chill pass through him, as he remembered his father locking him in the horse shed as a child, the animals had never hurt him but his natural aversion combined with the noises and darkness had broken him. He bitterly reminded himself "Father did it for my good".

As his thoughts broke, he noticed that there was complete silence and his friends were nowhere near him, there was something white that caught his eyes and his heart palipitated wildly as he realized that the creature stood right in front of him.

"Damn, what do I do? , how do i move" , he thought as he felt a panic attack begin.

Hagrid said calmly "Don't worry boy, it won't harm yer. It is just curious".

Harry who had followed the nine tailed fox from the minute it started to move away from the clan was surprised and a bit amused as it stood in front of Malfoy who from his knowledge was the last person who enjoyed interacting with magical creatures.

Hermione spoke "Hagrid ,why aren't the other magical creatures not coming forward".

"Yer see 'Mine , their leader is deciding if we are trust worthy or not".

Ron couldnt help but snort at the choice of person for such sentiment and Hermione elbowed him.

Draco could swear he would faint any minute if the thing didn't move away from him, as he  
saw a patch of darkness his legs shook and he sat down on his knees to gain balance. He felt something warm and soft touch his hand and all his anxiety vanished and was replaced with flood of calm and joy. 

As his sight cleared, he noticed what had happened the creature was snuggling to his right hand and as it settled comfortably, it looked up with its ice blue eyes which conveyed "You okay there?".

The sight was so unfamiliar that it caught him off guard and he settled down without a thought on the wet ground , it could be the calm or the ecstasy but his hands dared to move forward and exhilarated sound left his lips when the fox leaned in to his touch. 

Harry's brows which had furrowed from worry for his arch nemesis, relaxed again and a warm feeling settled in his chest at the sight of the exchange.

Draco's shining eyes first met Hagrid , where he nod his head gratefully to his professor before going on to call Pansy and Blaise. 

Hagrid who was left stunned by the gesture took a minute before saying "Hope yer all ready to meet the nine tailed clan now".

Harry had not been given the time to wonder about the fact that the pure blood had just been polite to Hagrid as the most excited fox in the clan ran towards him and stood a little away from him. 

Ron who was a bit shaken from the ferocious running took a step back with Hermione who more or less felt the same.

Harry bowed to the fox and the creature immediately mirrored the action. The fox then moved on to sway it's fascinating nine tails which harry took as a sign to move forward and touched it's snowy white head. 

"Hello, I'm Harry and this is Ron and Hermione" said Harry as if the creature could understand him and he was right the intelligent creature did. 

Ron and Hermoine who were holding hands moved closer to the magical beast now and cautiously touched it , to which it made a happy purring sound.

"it's beautiful" , Hermione said happy from her head to tips. 

The golden trio felt a wave of chill as the ground under their feet turned to sheet of ice where the morning mist on the grass shone like crystals.

"Bloody hell" , Ron said holding on to his trembling body. 

Harry and Hermoine couldnt control it anymore and they burst out of laughing.

Hagrid who saw Wu suo weiju releasing his elemental magic, tapped his stick twice on the ground to get his attention.

"No using yer magic today" , Hagrid said calmly.

The naughty fox took it as a challenge and froze Hagrid's stick.

"Come 'ere you shiny beast" , Hagrid said before carrying the fox from the ground, to which the fox squirmed and then admitted defeat. 

Harry who didn't want to let go of the beast said "I'm sure, he won't use it again Hagrid"  
To which the fox obediently swayed it's tail.

"I'm goin to let you go now but no more mischief now" , Hagrid said before letting the snowy fox go. 

At the action, the fox jumped with full force to harry which made the gryffindor fall backwards and hit his head, the oblivious white fox licked his face with merry.

"He seems to like yer, Harry" , Hagrid's said with a little smile.

As harry gave a final gentle pat to its head, The fox moved away from Harry and started to circle Ron and Hermione, who started to play with the fiesty beast. 

Draco and his friends rather had a calm time compared to the others as Yueliang felt at peace snuggling close to Draco, where Blaise and Pansy sat around him in a circle. 

"I still can't believe this beauty chose you" said Blaise smirking at Draco.

"Shut up" , Draco said blushing. 

Pansy who felt at home after a long while, didn't say a word and enjoyed the comfortable silence in the company of her friends and the fantastic magical creature. 

"The class is done for today , Yer can say yeur goodbye to the beasts now".

The class which was having an excellent time found it hard to walk away from the marvellous beings but they were quick to disperse as they were reminded it was potions hours and they didn't want to face the snarky potions master. 

\---------- ---------- ---------- -------------- -----------

Cedric was walking to his dorm, when a sudden thought occurred to him "what if tomorrow never comes" , a chill passed through his spine and fear gripped his heart as he started to walk quickly to his dorm. 

On his way he met Ackman who like always stood in his way but this time Cedric had no will or patience to deal with his annoying presence. 

"what do you want Ackman?" , Cedric said irritated.

The tall and thin man felt angered at his tone said "All high and mighty again , are we?".

Cedric started to walk away when he felt his back sting, it took him a lot of control not to fire back "Can you stop being childish for once?"

Ackman's face turned sour and he spat "Look who's talking Daddy's perfect son".

Before Cedric cast something horrible, he was stopped by one of his best friends and prefect partner Kara Mirths. 

"I expected better of you, Cedric" , she said displeased at his conduct.

"And ten points from you Ackman, for bullying the first years and other unsuspecting students" , she said ready to deduct more points if her fellow mate went against her. 

As Ackman walked away with his friends ,Kara turned to face Cedric. 

Kara who had been sick worried for a month blurted "Will you tell me what's going on, you keep skipping classes, you are not responding to your parents letters and most of the time you are avoiding your best friends" 

Cedric who was done with people pushing him around "You need to stop, just stop kara. No one gets to tell me, how my life is supposed to be , not you or William or even my parents , NO ONE". 

With his head throbbing with stress and his eyes waiting to tear up, he walked away to the one person who always understood him. 

Kara who was hurt by his harsh treatment burst out "You are right, do what you want , I dont care anymore".

Cedric walked slowly and then almost ran up to the infirmary, his legs took on a normal pace a few feet away from his destination. A sense of dread began again as he realized that he was worried and stressed out for no reason and maybe no one could help him with that.

Poppy had seen Cedric rushing to the infirmary but as she realized that the boy was going to turn away she called him "Where are you going, Cedric?".

A ray of hope arose in Cedric as he turned to look at her "Madam Pomfrey, I have not been feeling well".

Poppy who saw his pale complexion, seated him comfortably on one of the beds and brought him a calming potion after drinking which Cedric felt normal again. 

"Now tell me Cedric, what has been bothering you" , poppy said gently.

Cedric felt a huge weight build in his chest again as he was reminded of what had caused the panic in the first place but he went on to speak anyway "I'm scared poppy, I am scared all the time".

Poppy was reminded that the only time the boy called her by her first name was when he was in extreme stress or pain ,which sobered her up immediately "what are you scared of?".

"It started last December, I had a nightmare in which I am in this dark place , where all the screams go mute, all the pain turns cold and everything you are left with is fear and an empty shell of yourself......if I am right... It almost felt like Death".

"Is this nightmare re-occurring?" , Poppy said noting down the symptoms in her head. 

Cedric broke down "It is and the worst part is I'm not able to move past it".

"What is stopping you?" she said willing him to go on.

His heart beat faster "There are so many things that I want to do and I feel I'm failing everyone around me, including myself".

Poppy got up from her seat and moved to her private kitchen to make some warm floral tea. As she returned Cedric seemed a bit better than before, she then gently placed the porcelain cup in his hand and moved away to take her seat. 

She did not speak a word and as he took the first sip and comfortably relaxed she said "Cedric, my boy if I have to put it in simple terms, you need to stop being so hard on yourself".

Cedric's eyes widened and then he gained his composure. 

Madam pompfrey said heartily "You see life is not measured in the number of years that an individual has but rather the quality of your present moment. For all the discoveries and anecdotes, all we have or shall I say? all we'll ever have is 'now' and it is up to us to honour that moment and live well".

Being in my field requires an amount of mental capacity to see when people pass away to the other side, Do you know what they feel in those last moments? , it is not the fear of the inevitable but the yearning to have lived their life well.

That is a literal form of death, if I shall say. 

Because trust me Cedric people die every day. 

When someone fails to follow one's heart. 

When someone gives up on one's humanity and choses the path of destruction.

Or

Even when, we see our loved ones pass away to never be seen or heard again. 

Our life ultimately comes down to how much you loved and how much you cared about the people with your time here.

Poppy realizing that she had let her emotions guide her, took another sip of her cold tea and looked at Cedric who had a small smile on his lips. She then continued "And as for you my boy, you are one of the most lovely and brave individual I have seen, your spirit can outshine any hardship or obstacle, that's how strong you are. I am proud of you, so are your loved ones. Never doubt that".

Cedric who was trying his hardest not to cry, sobbed as the healer said "Now give the old lady a tight hug for making her emotional in the afternoon".

Poppy was the one to move forward and held the boy tightly as he cried his heart out. Despite her heavy heart and shaken spirit she kept repeating "Everything's going to be alright child , everything is going to be alright".


	7. Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Guys , 
> 
> Lots of love and happiness to you all.. 
> 
> Let's jump into Drarry now...

Harry was in the best of spirits as he had not only outsmarted the twin weasleys but had also managed to finish his transfiguration assignment in half an hour. Both Hermione and Ron had given him weird looks as he walked away to have fresh air.

With professor Mc.Gonnagal vigorously reminding them of the O.W.L practicals that were set to happen in sometime and his mind clear than ever, he decided to approach his team mate tomorrow in class at all costs.

As he looked up to the dark blue sky , he was taken back to the start of his day... 

Harry was having a wonderful dream of treacle tarts when Ron woke him up with a pillow hit to his head "Wake up Harry , we need to stop Hermione from this disaster".

"what disaster?" , mumbled Harry in sleep.

"It's Malfoy, she is actually going to meet Malfoy" , Ron said breathlessly.

Hearing the word 'Malfoy' worked better than an alarm and he went ahead to freshen up as he knew he would fall asleep again otherwise. It is only when he put on his tie did he realize something important "It's barely 6 ,Ron. If I remember correctly Malfoy had asked to meet Hermione at 7".

Ron shrugged Harry's fact aside "Who cares about Malfoy? , we just have to stop Hermione from leaving".

Though harry had a gut feeling that it was not going to end well, he agreed with Ron and both the boys left the boys dormitory to find the place painted in a bluish tinge which made Harry feel like he was in a painting.

As both the boys took a seat on the couch, Ron felt a new wave of anxiety pass through him, where as the urge to fall asleep on the warm cozy couch returned hundred times to Harry. Just as he was moving to lie down, he woke up again as Hermione with her hair in a bun took a seat between him and Ron.

Ron lost everything that he had to say at her optimism and a niggling irritation took the place of worry, as it reminded him that there was nothing he could do if Hermione had really decided.

Hermione who saw Ron's worried face tried to calm him "It's going to be alright Ron, it's just Malfoy". She said it with such confidence that Ron had to look at her face which were twinkling despite the morning darkness and he couldn't help but smile as he remembered the time in 3rd year when Hermione had broken his nose.

Ron said proudly "You were brilliant that day".

Hermione immediately getting his hint said with a wide smile "I was".

Harry who had allowed his neck to rest against the couch couldnt help but add "I will always remember that shining moment".

With that the golden trio began to laugh their heart out at the absurdity of the morning. With their nerves calm they had walked out to only remember that Malfoy had not specified a place but they decided to go to the great hall, the castle had not come to life yet and hence it gave them the feeling that they were snooping.

As they entered the great hall, Harry was surprised to find Malfoy sitting at the slytherin table, black circles standing out under his eyes.

Hermione with her books against her chest looked at her friends and told them "Thank you for walking me here but I'll take it from here".

Ron seemed to be put out all of a sudden and Harry felt a wave of disappointment pass through him as he realized that he would not be their to witness the study session.

The last thing he saw Ron pulling him away was Malfoy closing his notebook to look up at Hermione.

Harry's plan B of being able to sit at the gryffindor table and observe the circumstances was also thwarted when Ron broke off "It's better we walk away, mate. We have nothing to do here".

Ron had walked ahead but Harry stood cemented from the shock of his best friend's calm demeanor .

"Did something happen Ron?" Harry asked a bit concerned.

Ron broke into a goofy smile "I thought about it the entire night Harry, I'm sure Hermione can take care of herself".

Harry agreeing whole heartedly with Ron decided to follow his lead, though his curious side did not want take a step away from the hall.

Ron in an excited voice squeaked "Want to see who makes it to Hagrid's place first? " , with the words barely out his mouth he ran like his life depended on it.

Harry who never backed away from a challenge had a huge grin as he took a another route to the hut.

Both the boys almost fell when they came to halt as fang had a huge piece of meat hanging from his mouth and as Hagrid had warned them many times before that any kind of running could make fang angry.

Ron hitting his legs against the branch fell on his face whereas Harry who was right after him barely managed to stand before he tripped due to some gluey stuff on the ground. As both the boys pushed each other away. A loud greeting reached them and they looked at Hagrid who had a orange green apron around him and was carrying massive blocks of wood.

"You better get up if yer Don want to catch a cold now" , Hagrid said moving to the huge pot which was boiling away from them.

Harry punched Ron on the shoulder and got up quickly to move closer to the gigantic cauldron where he smelled mint and something else.

" it's medicine for the nine tailed fox clan Harry", beamed Hagrid.

"Nine tailed fox clan?" , Harry asked his interest piqued.

Ron who had heard about the creatures asked "Aren't they supposed to only habit in China, Hagrid?"

"They are but it so happens that every 25 years the magical beings go around the world spreading blessings and I happened to accidentally meet them in the forbidden forest, a week ago".

"Hagrid , Do you have any idea why they chose to come here ?" , Harry said finding it hard to accept that magical beings had just appeared in the forbidden forest.

"There are something's we will never know Harry" , Hagrid said stirring the pot.

Ron's hungry stomach grumbled, at which Hagrid lowered the heat with his wand and took the boys to his abode where he gave them a large piece of bread and butter along with some milk.

Ron happily accepted the meal and began munching the food and said "Wha- do you think about the tri-wizard tournamen- Hagrid? "

Hagrid who understood Ron said "Nothing much really, ts Dangerous...but I'm sure Sir professor Dumbledore will take care of it".

"I'm Really excited , Have you heard Harry, Hogwarts has the highest number of champions since the tournament began. I bet we'll come out as winners this time too".

Harry who was concentrating on the salty butter feeling in his mouth only nodded to Ron as the whole goblet of fire gossip had bored the hell out of him.

With his stomach full, Harry had went on to play with the trinklets that lay on Hagrid's table. All of the occupants were left silent as the first ray of sunlight hit the sky and the light peeked through the twisted old trees of the forbidden forest. 

Then Hagrid had asked them to get ready for the care of magical creatures class that was going to commence first thing after breakfast.

Ron and Harry had an hour , where they both had spent it fooling around with pebbles and mud houses that were built and destroyed unceremoniously under the roleplay of fantastic beasts. Harry was a taller and less hairy Nifflir and Ron pretended to be a ferocious dragon trying to bite Harry's hand off.

Soon the conversation had shifted to girls and how they were many beauties to be spotted at Hogwarts and during the conversation harry couldn't help but remember Cho, Cedric diggory and many others.

Time had passed sooner than they expected and soon they spotted Hermione who had a wide smile on her face as she joined the golden trio, they had not been given a chance to ask about her meeting as Hagrid begin with the class.

The potions hour later on turned out to be pretty decent as he and Ron worked together well to complete the simple surprise test that was conducted by Snape. Though their potion was not perfection It was feasible and had earned a nod from snape.

Later DADA class passed away with the entire class gossiping and playing games as Professor Moody did not come to class. With charms and transfiguration cancelled due to some meet up, the students were left early, where he and his best friends had taken up finishing their assignments for the week in the common room.

Luckily, a previous extensive reading had helped Harry to write the transfiguration essay efficiently and quickly. 

Now walking down the corridor, he felt a sudden urge to meet the magical beings. So he decided to move to Hagrid's hut.

As Harry stepped out, he felt his skin crawl for some reason and the feeling only grew worst when he reached the hut to find it closed and the space abandoned.

He was not sure if the magical beings had left or stayed on the ground, so he decided to call out the fox's name "Wu Suo Weiju , are you here?".

The eerie silence that he received confirmed something in his heart and a flash of light made him rush into the bushes scratching his elbows which were held protectively over his face, when he walked further to the light the pungent smell of blood made him stop on his track.

With the sun fading away, he was surrounded with complete darkness in a few seconds and immediately his instincts kicked in "Lumos".

The flash of light had stopped completely but he followed the direction anyway and what he saw left his head reeling , it was the sickly figure of Malfoy with a dagger and blood all over him.

"Malfoy?" , Harry said just above a whisper.

Draco's form was trembling and bent so Harry found it difficult to see what exactly he was doing. But as he went closer he realized what the flashes of light were, it was Draco trying to heal the magical being but it had no effect whatsoever.

Harry immediately sat down to check the fox's pulse but was stopped when Malfoy's hands obstructed him. 

"Don't..." , said draco in a hoarse voice.

"This is not the time for competition, Malfoy" , snapped Harry.

Draco who was dead tired from the ordeal moved his hands to show both his palm slit. The sight only left harry more confused.

"I don't get... "

"it's a curse Potter" , Draco said trying to heal the fox again.

Harry was done with being kept in the dark, "Will you just tell me what happened?"

Draco for the first time looked up and Harry felt a pang of guilt as he saw that the blonde had been crying.

"I know you didn't hurt her, I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened" , Harry said more gently then before.

The Draco from third year would have dissed Harry's help but now he knew that things were so much more than himself and if he wanted to save the snow white fox that had grown close to him, he needed all the help he could get.

Harry looked expectantly at Draco his expression clearly implying they were losing precious time and Draco began "I just wanted to meet Snow before she left, so I came by the forest and would have walked away if not for a painful scream , I followed it's direction and saw a short man he...

The memory made Draco want to throw up but he continued "he was collecting her blood and when I tried to stop him.....the son of a bitch fired a curse at me...and by the time i got up to follow him...he was gone without a trace....

Harry couldnt make sense of everything but he did believe everything the blonde was saying.

A sob escaped Draco as he came to the part where he saw the beautiful creature mutilated "I saw her, she was stabbed at multiple places and I removed the dagger... "

A raw protective feeling took over Harry and he asked the first thing on his mind "Were you scared to take her to the infirmary?"

"Fuck offffff, Potter" lashed Draco feeling cold fury run in his veins.

Harry taken aback at the outburst was about to ask another question before he deduced that Draco's leg's hadn't moved an inch since he got here "You can't move because of the curse".

Draco who felt like himself again thanks to annoying saint potter said "you need to levitate her to the infirmary, dont touch her or allow anyone to touch her".

"I can't let you stay here" , Harry said feeling a bit detached from everything as he realized both Malfoy and the magical being could be in mortal Danger.

"Potter , get it together" , Draco snarled.

Malfoy's temper fuelled harry as he cast "Wingardium Leviosa" and as nothing changed at his fifth try, he felt his feet turn cold and a sinking feeling settled in his chest leaving him paralyzed.


	8. Yueliang's blessing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💙😊💙

Not allowing worry to get the best of his nerves , Harry ran like a madman to the one place he knew that could have possible solution.

He cast a quick Alahomora and stepped into the creaking hut where he could here the dripping of something liquid. As he lit the fire place , his surroundings brightened to show mass of shattered glass culinaries and bent utensils lying on the floor , with water everywhere his eyes landed on fang who was lying on the sofa with the most innocent of expression.

As he scrutinized the beast, a sigh of relief escaped his lips as he found not a scratch on him. 

"Reparo" , Harry said a note higher than usual and stood witness to the smallest of pieces coming together to form the glass objects, where as the dented utensils took their original form too. 

With the danger of him and fang being hurt by the sharp pieces now out of the picture , Harry swished his wand to remove all the lids that covered the bunch of little and medium sized cauldrons to reveal liquids of various shades and thickness. 

"Lavender shade with a hint of mint" , Harry kept saying to himself as he searched for the nine tailed fox clan medicine. At the end of the row , he found two lavender coloured liquids in smaller cauldrons. 

His heart thrummed with nervous energy as he sniffed the aroma of the cauldrons and like a memory recollected, he knew which potion was the right one. 

Before setting to leave, the idea of taking a container struck a chord with him and he picked up the immediate metallic container which was lying on the floor.

The lively beast excited to break the utensils again , sat back disappointed as he heard Harry's firm tone "No more mischief, Fang".

The possession of the medicine gave Harry the needed hope to walk back to the horrid sight which had greeted him earlier.The only issue was that with his left had occupied with the metal container, he couldn't walk faster without spilling the solution from the cauldron that hanged in his right hand.

He paused for a second as he saw that the journey ahead would be filled with nothing but pitch Darkness and his every step from there turned cautious and well taught as he deciphered the bumpy ground filled with abrupt stones and other bushy obstacles. 

"A little light would really help you know" , he said loudly as he neared the Slytherin and was rewarded with the most cordial tone he had ever heard from Malfoy. 

"You are back" , Draco said stunned , as his wild imagination had shown Potter abandoning him to only report to the professors. 

"Of course I am" , Harry said matter of factly and placed both the cauldron and metal container on the wet ground. 

"What is that?" , Malfoy asked avoiding the stifling pain that concentrated on his lower back and legs. 

"it's medicine" said Harry trying to be reassuring. 

"Where did you get the medicine from?" , Draco said skeptically eyeing the small cauldron in front of him. 

"Hagrid made it" , Harry said impatiently moving back and forth on his knees. 

"You can't use what the half giant made, it can be poisonous" , Draco said terrified as hell by the thought.

The insult made Harry's blood boil and he was filled with a sudden urge to punch Malfoy but considering everything he took in a deep breath instead and tried to be as rational as possible "Hagrid is the best magical beasts caretaker I have seen and if he says it's medicine, it's definitely medicine".

He raised a hand to stop Draco from saying something foul and continued "We don't have time to waste on arguing Malfoy".

As he poured the potion into the container , his right hand clenched at being assaulted with piercing needles jinx and he looked up to find Malfoy's wand raised at him. 

"Move....away from that thing Pot-ter" , Draco said in a shaky voice.

The sight should have left him raging but it instead filled his being with sympathy at the tormented sight of the person in front of him and before a word could be exchanged he downed the liquid from the container in one shot. 

The tangy liquid that went down his throat replaced the mild tremors that wrecked his body with a steady warmth but otherwise he felt perfectly normal.

Draco's mouth closed and opened twice before he finally said bewildered "Have you lost it, Potter?"

"See, it's harm free, now can we help Snow?" , Harry said it like a statement more than a question.

Draco still unsure couldn't help but nod after the frightening stunt that Potter had pulled and transfigured the metal container to a spoon slowly yet steadily.

After glancing at Potter's confused look he explained "Potions need to be administered in little quantities to magical creatures"

Harry let the little piece of information sink and wondered how Malfoy knew such a thing. 

"Pass both the cauldron and spoon to me" , Draco said more confidently focused on the bleeding creature. 

Harry understood the implication of staying away from the curse and passed them to him. He felt his mind blank as Draco reached out carefully to Snow.

A cry of agony left Draco's throat as he felt his nerves being crushed under the dark pressure looming over him.

Harry feeling disturbed and worried questioned "what's wrong Malfoy?" 

Draco shuddered as the burning pain reduced to a low and constant ache as he moved away from Snow. 

"it's the curse, it's acting up" , his voice barely above a whisper.

Harry immediately moved forward to help when Draco said scathingly "The great Harry Potter can't stop being the Savior he is , for once" and regretted it immediately as he saw Potter's face withdraw and turn cold.

Harry replied now furious "I don't care what you think Malfoy but stop getting in my way".

Draco knew that Potter could be really determined when he wanted be and not wanting to risk any more damage, he spoke honestly "You won't be of any help recklessly getting cursed".

The previous remark had gotten under Harry's skin and it took him a few seconds to focus on the present. As a witness to Malfoy suffering mercilessly due to the curse , he felt his resistance wither away with every failed attempt.

Draco realized that every attempt he made to help Snow was draining him of his energy quickly and he was sure that if this went on, he would be leaving the burden of saving two lives on Potter and the idea revolted him so much that he made up his mind to save Snow at all costs. 

As he carefully rested the being on his lap, he was hit with a blinding pain as his tender nerves this time set on fire and his immobile stone like form made him sick to his core.

When he thought his senses would give up without his consent, a gentle breeze like force tended to his tired body and the burning reduced to bearable pain. 

As his tightly shut eyes opened, he was greeted to the astounding sight of Potter's eyes furrowed in concentration as he directed his magic towards him.

In any other time Draco would have been left entranced by the sight but today it grounded him and he went on to feed the potion to Snow in little amounts , every sip a few minutes apart. He finally stopped as he felt snow's body temperature return to normal. 

In the mean time Harry felt like he would burst out in flames as his magical core flared making his hands and legs twitch in a frenzy. The sight of Malfoy suffering stirred something within him and he took a deep breath visualizing his inner untamed force to a more healing energy as it left his wand.He let his concentration drop only when Malfoy placed the magical being down. 

Both Harry and Draco stood transfixed as they saw the magical being's wound disappear without a trace and as the moonlight reached the ground, the magical creature opened its glowing blue eyes and stood with it's nine tails swaying to the wind. 

Harry felt his heart warm as the fox moved to rub it's head against Malfoy's hand and the slytherin collapsed tired on the ground. 

Draco felt a bubble of laughter leave his chest as he saw the first creature that got close to him alive and well "Well, Hello there.." he said patting it's head. 

Yueliang looked at Draco with concern before she went ahead to bite his palm.

"Ouch" , he gasped before pushing her away and said coyly ""You are not supposed to be angry at me you know??" , in that moment a dark heavy weight lifted off his chest and he looked at his palm to find it healed completely. 

Harry had not moved a inch during the exchange and finally said "Seems like she really likes you".

Draco's breath caught in his throat as he realized that Potter was amidst them all this while and said without a second thought "This is Potter, Snow. We would have been in a soup without him"

Yueliang gazed at the powerful wizard in front of her and went to greet him, she allowed the wizard to touch her head and absorbed the remnants of the core revitalizing potion that had broken all barriers of his essence.

Harry felt his heart soar at the contact and allowed himself to walk with Snow as she led him towards Draco Malfoy , who finally stood up in his sophesticated grace. 

Draco being the spoiled heir he was wanted Yueliang as his pet but he knew she belonged to the world and a deep sadness engulfed him as the thought of never seeing her came to the front in his mind. 

Yueliang understood what Draco was feeling and looked longingly at the boy who was the most scared of her on their first meet and she tip toed in excitement as he bent down to give her a warm hug. He then spoke very slowly not wanting the fearless wizard to listen "I'm going to miss you Snow". 

The essence of her worried clan members reached her senses as the full moon restored her magical abilities and with a final bow to Draco and Harry she teleported to her Blood clan. 

Draco felt a part of him break at her departure and the only thing that kept him sane was the intimidating figure of Potter looking glorious in the moon light.

"You alright?" , Draco asked feeling a bit awkward in this new space between them. 

"I'm fine, thanks" , Harry said a bit dizzy from everything that had taken place. 

His higher energy now locked away in his core failed to support his wobbly legs and he found himself being held by the slytherin's solid figure. 

Harry's tired brain failed to understand the consequence of his actions but unknowing to him his heart filled with content as he walked towards Hogwarts leaning on his arch nemesis "Draco Malfoy".


	9. Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys, it's been long time since I posted...
> 
> I have to admit, I have been extremely stressed as I'm helping my sibling study for his boards re-exam. 
> 
> For some reason it feels like i'm writing it😂.

The air filled with the damp smell of wet leaves and mud comforted Draco immensely and took his mind of the warm weight of Harry Potter leaning on him for support. His witty mind stunted from the ordeal found nothing to say to "Potter".

Except the two words which were dying to come out of his mouth.  
  
"Wonderful, I'm not able to form these ridiculous words even in my mind" , he berated himself. Mother would be really disappointed if she knew of his crude behavior to someone who just kind of helped him.

A heavy weight made him lose his balance and it struck that Potter had fainted.

Nevertheless he said "Potter... You are really heavy".

"I'm going to throw you in the lake, if you don't wake up".

The distraction failing to calm the ocean of fear in him strengthened his resolve to make it to Hogwarts and he was rewarded when the warm lights of the school greeted him along with the worried face of his god father.

"What have you done, boy?" , Severus said accusingly.

"Nothing, I did nothing" , he stuttered.

Not able to escape the relentless feeling of something awful anymore , his eyes hesitantly moved to Harry. He had gone pale and his scar.... What in the world had happened to his scar?

It bled profusely like something had carved it anew. The sight made his body shudder, God father who was always quick to act muttered an incantation that wrapped Harry in a blanket of blue light.

His hand in the proximity of the light lifted the overwhelming numbness that had taken over him and Harry's ice cold hands came to his knowledge.

The dreadful thought "Is he dead?" appeared out of nowhere, to which his body chilled and his heart palipitated like it would burst at the smallest of disturbance.

"FUCK...Not another pathetic attack again" , he thought.

Snape nervousness slipped through his facade of nonchalance as he ordered "Go to my cabin, you'll find the calming draught. I will take Potter to the Infirmary".

Walking towards the cabin reduced the tormenting sense of doom until he found it closed and without his God Father's password.

Angry at his weakness, he slammed his hand against the door shooting a sharp pain through his hand. The pain like always grounded him and brought his attention to himself.

His head buried in his arms and his knees rocking him , the natural flow of air soothed his body allowing thoughts to be unlocked from the darkest corners of his mind.

Everything came to stand still as he felt lost, nothing made sense to him since Summer.  
"Why can't i remember anything after that evening with Mr. Harley".

Like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces his mind failed to make sense of the wisps of memories that always taunted him, reminded him that he was forgetting something important.

Thinking of it Blaise and Pansy had become more careful while talking to him, Mother would break down often when their eyes met and Father had been less severe with him for the first time in years.

And though it was made very clear to him that he had come very close to losing his life due to a flu. He felt it in his being that there was something cruel and painful awaiting to come to his consciousness.

His steady breathing cleared his mind and he knew where he had to be at this moment. He didn't get to judge his decision as the Weasel threw himself on him "What the hell did you do?"

"Hands of Weasley" , he growled at the disrespect.

Granger distressed did not allow her emotions to get the best of her and said "How did Harry get hurt, Malfoy?"

"People who are of no help to Mr. Potter's state can leave immediately" , Severus said plainly. He then glared at his godson who was foolish enough to come here of all places stained with blood.

Draco failed to give his god father an explanation as he took in the tranquil figure of Potter sleeping with not a care in the world. It felt wrong to to watch him like this.

It was more unsettling that people got to hover over him when he lied vulnerable and unconscious. So he took his eyes off potter, to only see the poker face of the old man, the Auror moody waiting for a chance to pounce on him, Professor Mc.Gonnagal looked like she had lost her pet and Severus as usual held his deep frown of concentration.

Madam pompfrey immediately came to his rescue and led him to the bed next to Potter's and didn't utter a word till she took her reading. She then passed him a chocolate looking potion which he downed immediately only to be choked by it's bitterness. The potion taking its course..he felt grateful at her consideration.

"If I may add, I didn't find any injury on him" , God father said trying to explain my absence in one sentence.

"Well Severus, I must say that your diagnosis was wrong as this poor child shows signs of being tortured under a dark curse and it is also interesting that I found a strong white magic essence healing his core" Madame pompfrey said thoroughly annoyed.

The tension in the room electrified and everyone's attention lay on him. It was against Poppy's ethics to let her patients to be interrogated but there was no way out of it this time.

Harry had not been breathing when he arrived at her steps, the boy had failed to respond to any of her methods and it was by sheer miracle that his heart continued to beat. At this sensitive moment, they could only help the boys once the truth was out in the open.

The story was told in eerie silence as nobody in the room dare interrupt in fear of missing something important. The last of detail told, the spell broke and he was faced with his first question by the seething auror.

"A good story Malfoy but it doesn't stand a chance against facts. So tell us, where is the cursed object that you are hiding?"

"The boy just told us everything he knows Alastor, there's no need for a student to face interrogation until proved otherwise. As for Harry, I'm sure everyone would have deduced by now that proper rest would be the best for him" , Dumbledore said his eyes beaming with understanding.

\------ ----- ------

Hermione's head burst with million possibilities of what had gone wrong in such a short amount of time. Nothing made sense to her except for the fact that Malfoy was somehow involved in all of this.

"Was Malfoy capable of something so malicious?" , her gut said otherwise especially after the short meeting they shared in the morning.

Ginny was the first one to see Professor Snape carry harry to the infirmary and the sight had left her heart broken. The memories from the chamber of secrets had lurked up reminding her of Lucius Malfoy.

"The rotten blood runs in the family" she cursed as she knew that Malfoy had hurt Harry.

George and Fred who noticed the suffocating atmosphere that filled the dorm, tried to bring everyone's spirits up.

"Harry is too strong to be touched by Malfoy and I'm sure he just needs a little break" , Fred said crossing his legs and relaxing into the sofa. Whereas George leaned forward and said "And besides Poppy thinks he's going to be fine isn't it?"

"Dean, you want to Bet?" , Fred added interrupting the perfect couple of Hogwarts.

"Why not?" , Dean said trying to move his attention from Seamus who was rightfully busy pointing out how Evil Slytherin's were.

The twins looked at each other with an evil smirk and said in unison "We bet 5 chocolate frogs that Malfoy got his ass kicked".

Dean's eyes shone with mischief "I bet on your latest experiment that no such thing happened".

"Ron, Will harry prefer a lily or wild flower on his recovery?" , Neville said with all the hope in the world.

Ron smiled for the first time, "Harry would do anything for a lily".

In that moment, he missed his best friend more than ever who at this moment would have been playing around or giving sassy responses to the people who messed with him.

\---- ----- ------ ------  
The Slytherin dormitory had been filled with tell-tales of Draco exacting revenge from his rival Harry Potter, when Blaise and Pansy decided to corner Draco and troubled by his absence had gone to complain to their head Severus, who had slammed the door on their face after giving the hint that Draco was in the infirmary.

So here they were standing forever, waiting for an opportunity to meet their friend before being caught by Filch, who surely was doing his rounds around the castle now. They froze as the head nurse caught their eye and walked away to her cabin.

"Guess, we got a few minutes" , Blaise said impatient to meet Draco.

The stupid sight of Draco made Pansy so happy that she placed a kiss on his forehead and sat down next to him.

"Pansy..." , Draco said with a lazy smile as he sat up delighted at the company of his Slytherins.

A nasty wave of jealousy passed through Blaise , "Why is she open to everyone except me?" he thought putting the discussion for another day. A knot clenching his stomach loosened at the sight of Draco and he said warmly "Glad to see you alive".

The drooped figure of Draco got to Pansy and she said in her sweet yet sharp voice "You look exhausted Darling. We'll come back tomorrow and I want to know everything of your tryst with Potter".

Draco felt himself blush at her obnoxious thought and said cleverly "I don't know what you are talking about Pansy dear, all I can say is that your tired brain needs proper rest" and he said that with a hint of amusement but more of concern for her Insomnia.

Blaise was pacified by the knowledge of Draco's well being but he had to know the truth if he was going to help Draco out of this "Were you behind this?"

"Potter saved my Life" and it was only when he unconsciously said those words that it struck him that 'Potter' had saved his life.

He had refrained from looking at Potter for so long , but the thought overpowering his being made him turn to steal a peek and the first thing that caught his attention was the steady up and down of his chest, his usually messy hair had softened itself on the Pillow and his strong jaw line compelled to be kissed.

As the thought came to life, he wanted to disappear than face his devil of friends who were most probably still looking at him.

He sheepishly rubbed a hand in his hair and fake sniffed to reduce the damage that was done to his dignity.

Pansy stunned at her friend's action squealed "You Draco Malfoy have never been subtle with your obsession or shall I say? , hateful-affection towards Potter.... But what you did just now was Debauchery at its best".

Blaise felt foolish for feeling jealous now, because It was a fact that his best friend had not given a second glance to anyone in his life. Yes, he flirted with all his heart but if he had allowed someone to consume him it was "Harry Potter".

A feeling of sadness engulfed his heart as he feared that someday he would be crushed when reality hit home and it would stare at his face that the person who he never let off his mind had always HATED him.

But knowing Draco, he would take anything that Potter offered. Anger, Insult or even violence if it came to that, as for some reason it set his fiery nature free from the years of oppressive family expectations and obligations. It's almost ironical, how he takes pride in these stifling rules.

Infact , all pure blood kids except a few are placed under a certain way of living which lead to the creation of mechanical beings who are caged in the prison of their own making or delusional rebels who go against their Own as if they could ever separate themselves from who they were brought up to be.

His calm heart filled with Disdain at his way of life, where everything reduced to Money, Fame and Power.

But as he stood observing his Love and Best friend smiling, he couldn't help but acknowledge that he Blaise could never separate himself from his Zabini roots.


	10. To open Pandora's box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys,
> 
> My brother's exams are done(finally😆) and  
> life is moving at roller coaster speeds due to the many likely-unlikely situations taking place.
> 
> I am faring well despite it all.. 
> 
> Hope you guys are doing well too💙

The letter with the Parkinson seal lay on the carved wooden table untouched for it's reciever did not have the courage to face the reality just yet. For in it's pages were inked the finality of her family breaking away into pieces.

As the hall filled with the clicking of shoes, Pansy took the piece of paper and hid it in her sketchbook unwilling to be questioned by anyone. The green tinge in the room amplified the harsh chill that surrounded her and if not for the unfamiliar faces filling it's space, it would come very close to the dreary mansion she grew up in. 

A blonde with elegant stride and strong shoulders came to sit to next to her and said after a pause "Parkinson, is it true that Malfoy is going to be expelled?"

"The outrageous rumor committee has outdone themselves this time, it's not fair to Draco" , she thought before replying to Daphne Green grass "Since when do you believe the gossip mongers here, Greengrass?"

Daphne understood and unfolded her copy of the daily prophet to reveal a bold headline 

"MALFOY HEIR TO BE EXPELLED FOR CURSING HARRY POTTER".

The great hall bustled with whispering and excitement as the infamous rivalry of Gryffindor and Slytherin sparked anew with the slytherin ice prince harming the Savior of the wizarding world. The silent looks and gestures that were exchanged between the houses were the deadliest as it held the revolting hatred passed down through generations before them. 

Ron seething with anger did not have the appetite to finish his breakfast, where as the intelligent witch sitting next to him was contemplating the toxic atmosphere that had spread in the great hall.

Her mind which had learnt to question everything as a kid, thought of the article which had spoken about the instances of Rivalry between Harry and Malfoy in detail after which the account of the incident was presented...

"Harry James Potter was on his way to meet Rubeus Hagrid, the professor of care of magical creatures when attacked by Draco Abraxas Malfoy with a lethal dark curse leading to his magical coma. The reason for such cruel action remain unclear. However, it stands very clear that the rotten upbringing of the Malfoy Heir is to be faulted".

The story was almost believable if not for the lack of mention of the source of information.

The word 'information' immediately triggered her to look into the article again, where she found vivid and true descriptions of the rivalry which only meant that there was someone in Malfoy's or their close circle responsible for this article.

As impossible the assumption, the scales in her objective mind tipped heavily towards her gryffindor mates.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------

The headmaster looked at the dagger scarred with dry blood which would soon be confiscated by the members of the department of magical artefacts.

"The boy is innocent" , Snape said with a neutral face. 

"That maybe the case Severus. However, it is the magical signature of the boy that was found on this dagger" , the wise wizard said levitating the now cursed object in a carved metallic box. 

"Impossible" , Snape replied infuriated by the allegation on his godson. 

"The Dagger piercing the nine tailed fox is bounded by blood magic to kill the perpetrator at all costs. But it so happens when the event is delayed like in our case, the venomous object lures innocent people who then feel the wrath of the degrading curse which cruelly drains away their life force. This act of violation dooms it forever to be an artefact of dark magic ,destroying anything that dare comes close to it".

"Leaving no space to argue if the cursed victim is indeed innocent or the perpetrator themself" , Snape concluded

"Due to which the Malfoy boy recovering from the degrading curse unfortunately becomes the natural suspect of alleged violence against the magical creature and Harry".

"Unless, there was another witness during the scene" , Snape said heavy guilt weighing him down as he imagined Lily's dissapointed eyes. He then felt angry at Potter to be as reckless as his miserable Father. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------  
Being wrapped in the gryffindor red blanket gave Hermione the space to escape from the fact that she was not allowed to meet her best friend who was in a magical coma. It silenced her gut feeling that took the side of the person she disliked for years over her gryffindor mates.

"What changed?" she asked herself and was taken back to their early morning session.

"Wish me luck mom and dad" she thought walking towards Malfoy anxiously. 

"Granger" , Malfoy said closing his notebook.

Malfoy looked like he had an all-nighter and was ready to fall asleep on the table. An inner voice spoke to her "Maybe you could schedule the meeting later?", not wanting to lose her stand she sat opposite to him and said "Where do we start?"

The blonde straightened his back, gently massaged his forehead before speaking in a low and tired voice "I have no idea".

If it was anyone but Draco Malfoy she would have enquired about their well being but in the moment she felt like she was walking on egg shells "Let's start with basic spells, shall we?"

Hermione was sure that she offended him when his eyebrows shot up and his jaw became stiff. After which he cleared his throat and said firmly "I and you both know,that we can skip the basics. However, I am going to go along with your humble suggestion today."

Hermione felt her shoulders relax as Malfoy treated her like an equal and no time to psychoanalyze their exchange she said easily "Do you have a place in mind?"

A smirk spread across his face , "I do."

Hermione taken aback by the open expression got up from the seat along with Malfoy, who neatly stacked his things into a shiny brown sling bag and shrinked it to fit his pocket before leading the way.

The silent walk took them to a spot hidden away by the quiditch pitch, the light green grass was perfectly grazed with a few aurelia's growing in its distance. 

"Wingardium Leviosa" he said levitating a leaf towards Hermione, she quickly understanding the cue cast "Florente Rosa" which turned the leaf to a beautiful blue rose. 

Malfoy with a wicked wand motion cast a spell which surrounded them with a foggy mist which cleared easily to show rows of rainbow colored flowers.

The sudden change first stunned Hermione and then made her laugh at the surrealness of all of it "I can't believe it. This should not be possible".

"All illusions are possible, Granger" , Malfoy said smuggly.

There was something about the statement that hit home and her guards came up in a second. Malfoy must have read her mind as he removed the spell immediately.

The air of light heartedness quickly turned to menacing danger as Malfoy said coldly "You Scared, Granger? 

"You surprised me" , Hermione said trying not to squirm at her own polite tone. 

The honest words dissolved the tension yet the silence that emerged spoke a thousand words about both of them. 

Malfoy's harsh face turned neutral as he walked back to Hogwarts and just when Hermione thought their partnership was off for good , the blonde turned to retort "One important thing Granger, your transfiguration skills need serious polishing".

Anything she had to say drowned in her throat as it struck that Life was more grey than she had ever thought before.


	11. Fears, dedication and little something called joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers...
> 
> Thank you for your patience and lovely support...
> 
> Happy reading😊

A withered figure with a patch of bald hair entered knockturn alley crawling in the side ways , his brutally slashed thigh leaving trails of warm red blood.

The few who strolled the streets during this hour were absent as a boy of 17 was found dead in the abandoned block of Marshals. The body had been taken care of by the poor in the street who deemed to be the boy's family.

The tell-tale story circling the area was that the boy had been seen well and alive till the seventeenth hour of the day after which he disappeared into thin air. Some believed that he ran away, where others believed that he was a common burglar who was destined for such cruel fate.

The only individual who knew the truth lay in St. Mungos with a high fever as the sudden green light had terrorized his innocent heart. The truth would always be hidden in the shadiest corner of his mind and if ever confronted would reveal a twisted story.

A young man supported a frail elder as they walked towards the dark lane. It is there that the old man turned to a monster, eyes wild and hungry. A sharp green light shot from his wand making everything dark for a few seconds and in the next moment the young man lay in the puddle his eyes cold, wide and still.

The cautionary voice of his mother told him to find her as soon as possible. It is she who informed the poor about the tragic demise of their adopted son.

They declined her offer to call the aurors, as their livelihood thrived on illegal selling of cursed objects. The death of the young spirit had left them broken. However, life always moved on and hence the story of the boy would be soon forgotten but till then Peter had to keep his identity a secret as he could not afford failing his master.

The deserted empty cart of the young man came to his view and he thought "If he was not so foolish, he would have been well and alive today".

He then moved to the old Marshal lane where he threw the young man's wand and thought sweat breaking on his forehead "You seem to be helping me even in death".

He then put his hand into the magical pouch for the hundredth of time and felt the cold vial which was going to be his second chance. Yes, this was going to be his redemption.

\------ ------- ------- -------- ------- ------ --------- --------

Albus finished his letter to Madame Maxime and placed it in a small wooden box to be delivered later. He then popped a lemon sherbet to his mouth and relished the candy as it took away all his tensions.

The Malfoy boy recounting every detail of the terrible incident formed an etch of worry on his forehead. For Lucius Malfoy had devoted enemies who would not miss an opportunity to get back to him and though he had nothing to do with Lucius Malfoy.

He felt very responsible for the safety of his student and if there was anyway he could lead the investigation to be fair, he would try.

So he took up a fresh parchment of paper and addressed the letter to one unspeakable who could help him. He then stamped on the legal papers that had arrived from the auror department and the wizengamot.

Soon his thoughts drifted to Harry who moved forward in life with an unmatched enthusiasm and a light smile crossed his lips. "Lily and James would be so proud of their son", he thought.

Like a cup of tea finally finished , his mind reached a point blank. The magical globe that was kept a little away from Fawkes caught his eye and he stared at it, waiting for something to be revealed but nothing came forward.

The unperturbed room echoed the fact that nothing out of ordinary had happened this year and the deadly silence that had emerged made him wonder if life had really slowed down or if it was the silence before the storm that he had seen over the decades.

The last bit of lemon sherbet melting away, he quickly opened his silver box , which sparkled with different flavors of candies and treats personally handpicked by him. A shiny red chocolate called to him and he unwrapped the Toffy and popped it to his mouth.

His eyes closed as fresh watermelon juice blasted in his mouth , "Mm.. I need to know the name of this one".

\--------- ------- ------- ------ ------ ------- -------

Cedric's hand moved in unison with his eyes as he drew the fountain in the courtyard with precision, his skilled hands easily mirroring the evening long shadows around it. His hand came to a still, as to his right he found a slytherin with Bob cut pointing a wand towards her junior.

He didn't have time to think as he found himself in front of the little girl in a few strides, her red face smeared in tears.

"You okay?"

The little girl blushed and nodded her head in a 'yes' , a little ravenclaw boy to her right pulled her sleeve giving her the red signal to leave.

"Who do you think you are, interfering in my bussiness?" , a cold voice came from behind him which he chose to ignore completely. Though unlike him the kids looked extremely worried.

"Don't worry, I am a prefect. I'll take care of it" , he said flashing his badge to the uncertain pair.

The cue taken, the kids glided away. He waited for their figures to disappear and decided to move when it hit him full force that he was stunned.

"Damn..."

The slytherin came forward to face him with a look of sheer annoyance "Not able to speak, are we?"

Cedric internally rolled his eyes and thought of all the ways, he could set himself free. His heart beat increased and the memory of the recent practice session came to the front of his mind.

The girl who believed that she had the upper hand was looking at him with disappointed eyes and said "Cupcakes..." with pure condescension.

Cedric focused on his breathing and vizualized his shimmering white magic and cast the non verbal wandless spell "effringere".His muscles relaxed and a wide smile broke out on his face.

The girl's eyebrows furrowed but she did not get to react as he hexed her with a similar spell and said dramatically "I hope you got your answer".

Every cell in his body came to life as he acknowledged that the person who had reacted tooth for a tooth and eye for an eye was not the old him. The person he was now only listened to his heart and did it feel right to give the slytherin a taste of her own medicine.

His feet bounced ever so lightly and his hands couldnt stop playing with his wand as an epiphany hit him "True, death is inevitable but it in no way has the power to take away from the joy of living. Unless, you allow it to".

He released the slytherin as he climbed the stairs and patted himself in appreciation "Cedric, you are brilliant in wandless magic".

\----------- ------- ------- -------- -------- --------- --------

Bartimus crouch Jr. felt absolutely frustrated as he stood waiting for the Malfoy boy outside the infirmary. The main cause of his distress was the nagging old lady pompfrey who didn't know when to stop interfering in her patient's life and had the audacity to lecture him about how prudent and insensitive the auror department had made him.

The nervous ticking of hands that he developed at his time at Azkaban, grounded him to stay in his role. He then directed his attention to all the places where the magical eye took him. He swallowed a wave of revulsion as a familiar sight of platinum blonde hair and pale skin stood in front of him. "Like father, like son it is" , he thought.

"I would like you to follow me, boy" , he commanded and lead them to the abandoned classroom which had nothing but a board. The white light entering the window space, made the room look like his own prison that father had built especially for him. It suffocated and crushed him but there was no other place that made him feel safe except for it's rotten walls and the dusty floor.

Sir?

People say that eyes are the windows to the soul but he had found that people gave themselves away through their words and the Malfoy boy's tone intrigued him, there was heavy fear in their masked by a sense of confidence.

"I'm sure you are aware of why you stand in front of me , Malfoy. So I want you tell me everything that you can remember".

The boy's shoulders stiffened and he said coldly "I already recounted the story a few days ago, professor".

There was a hint of sadness lurking in those words , which if he was not wrong came from emotional attachment. What could the boy be attached to?

"You don't need to act tough boy. It's only natural that the incident has struck a chord within you" , he said neutrally.

The words immediately had an effect on the boy and he found a person who was ready to breakdown at the smallest amount of pressure.

There is something about emotional weakness that angered him and he said indifferently "There's no use crying over spilled milk boy .People, who are going to be here will not think once before exploiting their truth out of you. You better be ready for their is no place for cowards in this world".

The boy's fists tightened and he barked out "I'm not a coward".

"Then it will be very easy for you to face your darkest memories and tell it to me objectively" , he said in a perfect pitch that allured the person but gave no hint of force.

The boy took it as a challenge and fell into his trap recounting every memory vividly. The account despite the vividness was still vague at some parts and there was not a word that would point towards Peter. There is no need to alter his memories afterall.

"That is enough, you can leave now" , he stated before moving on to his next mission that is defense against the dark arts classes for the fifth years.

\---- ------------ --------------- -------------------- ---------

The vein in Blaise's forehead throbbed from the overwhelming worry for Draco, who seemed to have a lottery for disasters this year and Pansy, who was reacting very badly to the news of her parent's separation.

The slytherin's in the common room, added to his misery as they could not stop talking about who the next slytherin prince would be if Draco was expelled and did he really feel nauseated by looking at Theodore's nasty face.

He unconsciously looked to the entrance for the tenth time waiting for either Pansy or Draco to make a appearance.

His wish was granted as a fuming Pansy stormed through the entrance and ungracefully collapsed on the opposite leather black sofa.

The times like these, when pansy was full of life and guarded that he found it near to impossible to resist her. He bit his cheek trying not to smile , for he didn't want her to assume something negative.

Pansy's eyes flared with frustration as she started excitedtly, " Blaise, I was wrong about the cupcakes. They are insidious at their core"

"Which cupcake are we taking about here?" , he asked curiously.

"The golden boy. No, more like the Mr. self-righteous insidiousness" she said exasperated.

Blaise couldnt help but chuckle "So, I want to know. Is he still your perfect crush?"

Her face reddened with embarrassment, "Perfect my foot, he is one arrogant fly" , she put her hands in the air furiously.

Blaise's emotions bordered on insecurity more than curiosity. So, he took it upon himself to close the matter off completely "You Know Pansy, you are letting him win by getting a reaction from you. Remember the golden words you always say to Draco".

"Rubbish, pure rubbish is what those words are" , Draco scoffed bored out of his wits.

A warm feeling settled in Blaise as Draco's wicked self shined in the common room again. Feeling more adventurous he said slyly "Thought you were expelled ice prince".

Draco's right eyebrow rose and he said with a sense of entitlement "We Malfoys are never expelled".

Pansy unlike him had no qualms showing affection and leaped into Draco knocking him off a bit "I missed you so much, Blondie".

The too tight of an embrace almost choked Draco, but he didn't show a hint of discomfort and these were the times that left Blaise asking himself "Who is Draco Malfoy really?"

And an immediate answer came to him "My enigma of a friend."


End file.
